FateZero: A Different Card
by americancheeze
Summary: Kariya was dealt a bad hand in life, especially being born into the Matou family. Zouken's plans for him though counted on Kariya summoning a servant who's madness prevented them from caring that they were being set up to lose. But what if things didn't turn out that way?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Worst Draw?

In the depths of the Matou Estate – not far from the writhing pit of crest worms the family called their specialty – Kariya Matou clenched his arm to his chest in pain as he completed the summoning incantation, the crest worms inside of him growing excited and the use of mana. A moment later he would instead clench his fist in satisfaction that it worked. In the interim he was slightly shocked that it had. The fact that he had shackled some hero of the past with a Madness Enhancement weighed on his mind as he braced himself for the rumored heavy load such a thing put on a master. However, as a tall figure in simple gray armor materialized, Kariya Matou felt no such burden. In fact one was lifted.

The man standing in the summoning circle in front of him spoke _calmly_. No, there was some annoyance there, but certainly not madness, "I ask of you. Are you the one that summoned me, uttering the incantation of a Madness Enhancement?"

The man was a knight. That much was obvious. He was dressed in plate armor. Clearly in was well made as well, and fitted specifically for the man. This was no low standing knight that simply won a set of arms in a joust, this man had been appointed. The problem was there was nothing about him or his armor that was distinct. It was just high quality medieval European knight armor. He could have been any knight in high standing from anywhere in any century of the era. His weapon was even just a simple, though quality bastard sword of no distinction. However, Kariya would later learn that heroic spirits only rarely carried their actual weapons on their belts in such a way.

Zouken was furious, "You useless whelp. You can't even do this simple an incantation correctly?"

Kariya cried out in pain as his father drove his staff into the leg the old man had just recently injured, "I DID IT EXACTLY THE WAY YOU SAID!"

The armored man calmly analyzed this response to his question and spoke, "So, am I to understand the man you are injuring is to be my master in the Holy Grail War?"

"Y-yes."

"Then perhaps the old man should stop injuring my master."

The clear threat was said so concisely and matter of factually that it was almost disarming.

Zouken was not an easily intimidated man, even by a servant, "I am the head of his House, Zouken Matou, and he is in this war as a representative of that house. So learn your place, servant."

"I will pay you due respect."

Zouken noted how deliberately ambiguous that promise was and it irritated the magus, "Who even are you? You're clearly a knight, and the catalyst was from Camelot; but you are so generic I can't tell what card we've pulled."

"The worst one, Zouken Matou. The very worst card you could have pulled. Now if you will excuse me, I must tend to my master."

The knight moved to Kariya, clearly going through the motions to lift him.

Zouken was not to be brushed off, "You will do no such thing. You will answer my question and you will let this failure of a magus walk out on his own."

"You used the Madness Enhancement yes? Then certainly you know what card you've drawn."

"A member of the most famous group of knights in history, made even stronger by madness enhancement. A berserker Knight of the Round Table."

"And you've pulled exactly that."

Zouken went to drive his cane into Kariya's leg another time to punish this insolence, "I asked you which o-"

The knight caught it, "Zouken Matou, take heart and heed that even if you summoned something as minor as the King's Hound it is strong enough to kill every person in this manor to the last and there would be nothing any of them could do to stop it. Now. I am a berserker class servant, and you are disregarding my polite suggestion to stop hurting the representative of your house in the Holy Grail War."

The magus was certain that was the most politely he'd ever been threatened with the deaths of his entire family before, "HA! A well spoken berserker? You truly are a screw up, Kariya. I'll leave you two to get acquainted, but this isn't over."

The knight watched Zouken's every movement until the old magus was out of sight. It was about then that Kariya flinched in pain again and spasmed at the wriggling of the crest worms in his body, once again eating at him.

"Sorry, about the old man, and the Madness Enhancement thing. He forced me into it. I'm not much of a mage, so he says I need every edge.'

"In your condition you can't handle a berserker servant's drain on your mana."

"There are crest worms inside me that make up for that. I just have to trade stamina for mana and I'm tougher than I look I swear."

"That's stupid." the knight had long since glanced over and seen the pit of crest worms not far from the summoning circle, "The Grail did not provide information of mage families of the era. Yours specializes in magecraft using crest worms?"

"Yeah. It's disgusting and abhorrent. They throw the heir into that pit several times a week and let the worms nest inside. Cultivates a strong mage if your body can take it."

"On that note, you haven't stood."

"Ha ha, yeah. I'm the only person in our latest generation with any magical talent and it's pitiful. Our once great house is dying out."

"Of course it is. Magical lineage is genetic and you're feeding your bodies to worms. I bet these worms would make fine mages."

"I guess that's what they were going for?"

"Idiocy if you are also killing off viable hosts."

Kariya rolled over to his back, "You have a point. It's one I've tried making. Zouken's solution was adopting from another mage family."

The knight finally knelt beside his master, "Ah, so the man is many levels a fool."

Kariya sat up sharply, "And a monster! We're talking about a child here! A little girl!"

"And you are in this war because you want to stop that?"

"Of course! You're a knight, surely the idea of doing that to a little girl repulses you too?"

The knight nodded, "So, Master, what is your plan?"

"Zouken was going to condition Sakura, the little girl, to fight in the next Grail War after this one. I promised him the Grail from this one if he'd let Sakura go."

"So if you win, he let's her go?"

"Yes."

The knight tapped Kariya's hurt leg.

"AGH! What are you-"

"He broke your leg, put your body in this condition, and made you summon the hardest class to maintain and control. One that has never even come close to winning because every other time it was called it either lost due to being dumb or killed the master through rage or mana cost."

"That's something that has me curious. Why are you none of those things? Are you really a berserker class?"

"Indeed. I suspect the nature of my powers has confined the Madness Enhancement to when I use one of my abilities."

"So I pulled a berserker that can turn it on and off?"

"Not exactly."

"Who even are you? I know you didn't take much of a liking to Zouken..."

"And he has certainly got any of the many forms of magical sensors listening to us right now, so I will not lay my cards out on the table to give him tools to use."

"Use? As in against you? You've been implying he's setting me up."

"You don't sound completely shocked. Which is good. That means you aren't as dumb as Zouken."

Kariya laughed, "I'm going to get along pretty well with you if you stop with the leg touching."

The knight immediately touched the leg again.

"HEY!"

Kariya suddenly realized that he felt no pain from the contact. In fact his leg started feeling better.

"Wait, you're a berserker Knight of the Round Table with healing magic?"

"Yes. As to my identity, I will share some information about myself. For one, you summoned me into my worst class as far as my abilities go. Though it does not suit my personality I only have full access to all my abilities from life in the Assassin class."

"Now I'm even more confused. A Knight of the Round that heals and has assassin-like abilities?"

The knight ignored him and continued, "I can't be summoned in Archer or Rider, and bemoan your poor choice of class if I need an anti-army Noble Phantasm. I only have one of those when I'm a Saber."

"You didn't mention lancer or caster."

"I don't have much affinity for lancer and if I were caster I would only have supportive magic. I am not locked out of either however."

"A knight that can't be a Rider...?"

"Like I said, you got the worst draw. Not only am I in the worst of the three classes I have real affinity in, you would not even have heard of me. Strange given several things about me; but we can discuss that later. I must tend to your body if we are to prove Zouken wrong. If I unleash that berserker ability with you like this I am likely to kill you."

Something occurred to Kariya, "Are you much weaker without that active? I'm not feeling much mana drain at all."

Tapping his master's newly healed leg, he energetically pulled Kariya to his feet, "You wouldn't anyway. Servants are only a large draw when they are active in the war. Certainly staying in spirit form and stopping the drain completely is the surest way to be in top fighting condition; and I may consider that if I must."

Kariya was impressed at the work. His leg was totally fine. In fact just in general he felt better than he had since before the worms were put inside him, "Wow. You did a great job."

Weirdly, the knight bounced up a little as if suddenly very pleased, "It is nothing. I am from the tail end of the Age of Gods if you recall. I am not Merlin by any stretch, but I am knowledgeable of supportive magics as I said."

"Good to know. Let's get out of here, you can check me for bugs... the listening kind, and then we can discuss what you can do."

"Indeed. Something we should cover before there is a risk of conflict of any kind. If we do get into a fight, I cannot guarantee that I will not activate that berserker ability. I will say it is not like a switch."

"Alright. I'll brace myself."

"Secondly, you are not a screw-up in this case. Even though you drew a bad card, I am indeed a berserker. I am sane because I have what is known as an awakened origin. Are you familiar with origins?"

"From my understanding every living thing is a piece of the Root, and your origin is an aspect of reality that defines you. It can influence your nature as a person."

"True. This is especially true if one is awakened to their origin. Such a thing usually grants supernatural abilities, but at the cost of being driven intensely by that concept."

"So for example f your origin was hunger you'd always want to eat?"

"Exactly. Someone with that awakened would basically be little better than a ghoul."

"Are you okay with revealing yours?"

"Totally. It will not reveal my identity because any knight could have it: Nobility. Save for the fact I could be lying about that; it means that I have to be noble. I cannot betray you. I cannot go back on my word unless it would be dishonorable to keep it, and other knight-like behavior."

"So basically, you have to be a knight?"

"Yes. The benefit is that because I am literally nobility, I gain immunity to nearly all forms of corruption and many forms of curses."

"So that must be why the madness was restricted on you."

"Exactly. Now with that done I must make this official." the knight knelt in front of his master, "Kariya Matou, if you would have me you shall be my master in this Fourth Holy Grail War and I shall grant your desire to save Sakura. Do you accept my oath of loyalty?"

Kariya nodded sharply once, "I don't know who you are, but I'm already honored. Now stand up, Berserker, and let's get to granting that wish."

Next Chapter: The Card that Was Dealt

Author Note: Chapter was a bit short I know and drops you right into events in progress within Fate/Zero, but it just felt correct to end it there and cover the rest later with more detail than would fit in the chapter length I prefer. Pardon any roughness, as I haven't written in years :(. Anyway, this story assumes you've actually seen the anime, and though things with change drastically in this fic it will keep assuming you know the original but I will describe settings more in the future. Next chapter this different Berserker's identity is revealed and the fate of Kariya Matou, as well as the rest of the Fate universe, abruptly changes course as the pair leave for the Grail War.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: The Card That Was Dealt

Sitting in the drab, utilitarian garden outside, Kariya found himself wishing that his family were a normal family of nobles and that the place were not just one kept because noble houses are expected to have them. Notably the plants were a bit more lively than they were when Kariya had returned and started his training, the man suspected Sakura had been slipping out and tending to them with more love than they were used to. It pained him. Not that she found a hobby, but that it needed her care to begin with. The girl deserved a nice garden to play in. The Matou garden was as much a sham as the family.

Speaking of Sakura, she was in the garden right then, shyly amused at the tall, armored knight Kariya had summoned. Kariya was a little shocked that Zouken and Byakuya had let them anywhere near her, but he was certain there were familiars on all sides to keep them from just running off with her. Not that Kariya could do that even after being healed. He could walk straight again and many of the deformities the worms had given him were lessened, but the meager magus was still a mess. Regardless, apparently the strange knight had offered to share his knowledge of mage craft with Sakura, and Arthurian magic was not something the Matou family would just throw away.

"Are you really a Knight of the Round Table?" Sakura asked skeptically.

There was a smile in the knight's voice, though it was hidden by the helmet he still hadn't removed, "Indeed. You've read about the Holy Grail right? Well it allowed me to be summoned to this era to help your uncle Kariya win it."

"Why are you walking around in your armor?" Sakura leaned in close, "Is it because grandpa is a bad guy?"

"No, it's because grandpa is a big dummy."

Kariya still enjoyed that.

Sakura wasn't so sure, "Grandpa knows a lot of magic though."

"It's all dumb magic. Remember the worms?"

Sakura shuddered and her face darkened, "I don't wanna go back there."

"I know. You don't have to. I was just bringing them up because your grandpa's magic requires those. Does doing that to cast magic seem smart? Did your father ever do that stuff?"

"Why would father send me to learn magic from a dummy?"

Kariya chimed in, "Because your father is an idiot."

"He is not!" Sakura snapped, "Maybe he didn't know about the bugs?"

Kariya shrugged, humoring the girl, "Either way, you'll be safe from those things after I win the grail. Don't worry."

"You promise? Byakuya says your knight friend is going to teach me some magic. It doesn't need bugs?"

The knight chuckled, "Do I look like an idiot?"

Sakura looked at the armored figure up and down, and was too polite to point out the truth.

"Don't answer that. I'll put on more casual clothes later." he turned to Kariya, "Don't acquire those without me. I have specific needs as far as clothing goes."

"Like what?"

"We'll go over that later." the knight went back to Sakura, "Anyway. Lesson one of magic. I'm going to teach you a really handy healing spell that I am going to use to help your uncle win the war. Sound good?"

"Healing magic? So I can use it to help people?"

"As long as you keep it secret that you know magic. Can you do that?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now. Do you remember the basic mana manipulation that you were taught to interact with the bugs to invoke spells?"

"Yeah."

"Show me." the knight put out his hand, "I am magical so this armor is pretty much part of me. Do that mana manipulation in my armor."

"But putting mana in things is something I don't know."

"I'm made of mana, so just go for it."

"Okay." the girl listened, performing the normally internal process inside the gauntlet of the armor. It took a few minutes to figure out how that was done, but the knight was a good guide.

"Good. Now I will nudge your influence in the area. Try to follow along."

The knight guided the flow of mana very gently in the other direction, an act that would have very much the opposite effect from what Zouken wanted her to be able do. It wasn't a hard spell. Naturally there would be a means to remove them. It was just sheer luck that Kariya had summoned someone who knew it. The pair were at it for only about thirty minutes before the knight declared...

"Good girl, that's exactly right." he leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear before standing, "Understood?"

"R-right!"

Kariya was worried, "Wait, what did you just tell her?"

"She's going to finish healing you for me while I attend to some business. I cannot leave the bad impression I made on Zouken as I did. If anything happens, call me with a command spell. If things go poorly and you feel a mana drain, do not call me until it subsides."

"Do you expect combat?"

"One must always expect the worst, Master. Anyway, I can trust Sakura with tending to you. She is actually profoundly gifted in magic."

Sakura beamed, "I'll help Uncle Kariya and make you proud!"

"Good girl." and on that note, the knight vanished into spiritual form.

Kariya could somehow feel him go further away. After a moment, when Sakura started healing him, Kariya asked, "What did he say to you?"

"He said to tell you to wait and see and it's dangerous if I say what he said."

"Dangerous? Berserker what are you OW!"

"Sorry, he said it would sting."

The worms were all moving at once, the pain of it lessened by the fact they were taking recent paths and not making new ones. That and the healing magic. What was this magic and how did Berserker know healing magic that would make crest worms act this way? What was his intentions in not doing it himself. For someone forced to be noble, Berserker was being awfully covert.

Sakura suddenly looked very scared, and a moment later Kariya noticed why. All the crest worms were coming out of him and taking flight. Soon after they started buzzing around as if drunk and began attacking each other. There was an entire swarm of them, all around the pair.

Sakura stopped and curled into a ball in Kariya's lap, "He said to hug me and run! Hug me and run!"

"FUCK!"

Elsewhere, the knight (being a servant and Zouken not being far away) found the old man lurking on the second floor of the manor. There, he had been watching the exchange and the knight appeared as the swarm abandoned Kariya's body.

"You know crest worm magics?"

The knight nodded, "They have been around a long time. Your family just took to breeding them. You know this, but originally they were used sort of like modern muscle training involves resistance to build power. Now that I've taken the weight off, Kariya will have a pretty decent pool of mana."

"They are running for the gate now. I presume you plan to kill me?"

"You are setting up my master to fail. You must have been counting on that madness enhancement for more than just the part where it would kill him. No normal servant would step into this situation and not kill you and free the girl."

"You underestimate me."

"No. I do not. You are hundreds of years old and made of crest worms. If they could fly you could probably even turn that entire pit on me right now. You were planning on setting up Sakura as your next host."

Zouken was shocked for the first time in centuries, "How do you know all of that?"

"I just noted how foolish this method of raising a magical lineage was and from there tried to make sense of the nonsense. This method only makes stronger and stronger crest worms. The major tip off was your plan to use Sakura in the next Grail War. That is in fifty years and crest worms shorten the human life span, they don't lengthen it. Look at them, life has been sucked out of them. This method only makes sense if the worms are the lineage. Then the next point of logic: who spends centuries developing magic bugs as their family magic? That would be like a doctor going to college to use leeches. Your family magic is not crest worms. It is some method of using their mana eating properties to make them a vessel for your soul."

"Who. Are. You?"

"The worst card that Zouken Matou could have drawn. A sane servant with knowledge of really ancient medical techniques like leeches and crest worms."

"I will destroy you for this insolence you worthless reject knight!" as he declared it, the old magus extended a hand and projected a swarm of crest worms at the knight, "Servants are made of my food!"

The knight made no move to dodge, and did not even flinch as the swarm tore a hole straight through his heart, eating it and caring the mana back to the main body. Zouken throbbed with magical power. The very center of a servants magical power, consumed in an instant. However, the knight stood there, still unflinching. The only change? The hole was no longer a hole. It was whole again except for the armor and visible was a body with a lot more hair than any human would have. White hair with flecks of gray. On that note, the knight removed his helmet.

His face was nothing special. Neither handsome or ugly, though closer to the former. Notably he wasn't as clean shaven as one wold expect of a knight. It was human though. His hair a dark gray color much like that a of feral wolf. His grin was toothy, fanged in fact.

Zouken was shocked for the second time in centuries, "Why are you totally fine?"

"Oh. You just ate my 'clothes'. Handy thing about my method of shape changing. This appearance is basically an item, not me. Pity for you that you are the sort of sadistic fellow that rips out his enemies' hearts and watches them die. You should have just devoured me with everything you had at once. Now I have won."

"This is hardly over!" Zouken intended to do exactly as the night had said, but he could no longer leave his human form, "What... what have you done?"

"Like I said, you ate a part of me and then returned it to the rest of you without killing me. The problem is that I activated one of my abilities before came in. Call it a second Noble Phantasm I hate using."

"Stop gloating and answer me!"

"Fair enough. I will start with your first question from my summoning." Berserker pulled out a curved, double edged blade that (handle included) was tall enough to reach his shoulder even with the steep curve. The thing was more curved than any European blade, "This is the tusk of a demon boar. One slain by King Arthur's hunting party in order to forge a razor for a giant. It is a story that I will spare you. The beast was only cornered when they unleashed Arthur's favorite hound. He cornered – by himself – a beast with this large a tusk."

Zouken shook his head, "You can't be. The Grail doesn't summon..."

"Legendary animals by themselves? Well." he motioned to the exposed fur.

"Werewolf?!" the pieces fit in place in Zouken's mind, "You changed my physiology to a werewolf with a noble phantasm!"

"Handy thing in this exact situation. I bet you are normally very hard to kill when your nature is a swarm of bugs. Now I do not mind the Grail saddling me with a curse I never bore in life. Such is the burden of having little fame."

The knight walked over to the stunned Zouken. Now that his body was legitimately stuck in that of an old man, many of his attacks were gone. His mind reeled trying to think of some spell that could kill a servant, but in his frenzied state he could think of none.

"I told you who I was when you asked. 'Even the king's hound can slay everyone in this house.' I am the first werewolf legend of Medieval Europe. I am Sir Marrok of the Round Table. This blade I have named what I was called for the seven years I could not take the form of a man: Cavall. It is the final rebuttal I have for any that would seek my master's end."

"CURSE YOU! YOU-"

"Pfft, I am immune to curses." a single smug remark for an opponent outmaneuvered was the last thing before the sword forged of a tusk came down unceremoniously on Zouken Matou.

A few hours later, Kariya, Sakura and Marrok were all in an inn. Marrok had healed himself, and Kariya was still recovering but in better health than he ever hoped to be again. Marrok had already assured Sakura that she would never have to worry about the bad men again. He had also assured Kariya that it was better he not know what Marrok had wrought upon the house of Matou. Kariya took that to mean that he really had summoned a berserker. He was surprised he was a little bit remorseful, but not at how fast that passed. He had more things to be worried over. One of which he and Marrok were tucking in for the night.

"Can I go home tomorrow, Uncle Kariya?"

Uncle Kariya smiled, "Your father sent you to that place, and we want to know why and how much he knew first. He is also getting involved in some other dangerous things, so we need to make sure you will be safe there."

Sakura seemed shaken by everything she knew about her father unraveling even more than it already had, but she accepted it, "Alright."

Marrok patted her head very gently, "Listen, I'll tell you a bedtime story to help you fall asleep. It is the tale of how a little known knight of the Round Table came to be."

"Is this about you, Uncle Marrok?"

"Yep. So it is a history lesson too." Marrok pulled up a chair, Kariya sat on the end of the bed, "I was actually born in France and was called Bizuneh."

"That's a weird name."

"Yes. I threw it away a long time ago but if you look me up you might come across me in a French poem called 'The Bisclavret'. That poem's not completely accurate but it says a was a popular nobleman that was cursed to transform into a wolf for three days a week. He turned back and forth by taking off and putting on his clothes. Pretty amazing right?"

"So you can turn into a wolf by taking off your clothes?"

"Technically. How I came to be this way is a another story, but at this point I had married and according to the tale my wife worried about my disappearances and confronted me about it. Now, what do you think I should have done?"

"Tell her the truth!"

"I did that very thing because I loved her and decided to trust her. It turns out I should not have, but usually it is a good idea to not hide things from people you love. My wife was just a bad person."

"What happened?"

"You see, my beloved wife decided she did not want to be my wife anymore and betrayed me. One night when I changed she hid my clothes. Twas dastardly! I needed those to turn into a human!"

Sakura gasped.

"Worse yet, word spread somehow of a man-eating wolf in the woods and the king's hunting party, King Arthur included, soon were on my tail. Literally, Sir Agravain's horse stepped on it and it hurt like the dickens."

Sakura chuckled, "But you survived right?"

"Yes, I went right up to King Arthur and plead my case. You know how you kids sometimes make 'puppy dog eyes' when you want something?"

The girl nodded, "My sister Rin does that a lot."

"Being a wolf at the time, I did it more literally than one normally does. She... I mean he... seemed to understand and tried to pet me. The king was so impressed with my gentleness and noble bearing that I was taken into the king's service as her loyal canine companion. Eventually the nickname Cavall stuck. That word is an old word for horse. I was a very large wolf."

"As big as a horse?"

"Not quite."

"Aw."

"Close enough though."

"Really? Can I have a ride?"

"Maybe? I am not sure if that is wise in the middle of a town; but I will think about it."

"Yay!"

"That aside, I was stuck as a dog for seven more years. It was great time though. I became the king's favorite hound. So fine and noble was my service that it made things a lot simpler when my wife happened to come to the king's court with her new husband."

"Oh!"

Kariya chuckled at how much Sakura was enjoying herself, "What an unexpected coincidence!"

Marrok nodded, "Indeed. I was normally such a good dog that when I... er... chased them clear out of the kingdom they all assumed the pair deserved it and I got plenty of tummy rubs."

Sakura laughed, "How did you turn back into a human though?"

"Oh, um... when I was chasing my ex-wife she threw my clothes at me so I could change back. Boy was the king shocked but soon after I officially joined the Knights of the Round Table. At some point the tale turned up attached properly to Camelot, but before then I never stopped being the King's hound, serving as bodyguard and retainer until... until I was summoned."

"Aw. Sounds like you miss it. When can you go back? And can I come with you?"

"After I help you and Kariya through some rough business I can. Sadly you cannot come with me though. Magical limits and such."

"Aw."

"We'll play plenty while I am here though. Okay?"

The girl smiled and nodded.

Marrok stood up and started to step away, "Good night, little one."

"Uncle Marrok wait."

"What?"

"Earlier you said the poem wasn't accurate. What was wrong?"

Marrok grinned and knelt down close, "I'm actually not a man that turns into a wolf. I'm a wolf that turns into a man."

"Whaaaat?"

"Yes. I am not a werewolf! I am what some call a wolfwere. Do you know why they call it that?"

"Why?"

"Because someone calls out 'WOLF!' and the wolf turns into a man and goes," Marrok looked around with a comically exaggerated look of concern, "'WHERE?'"

Of course the little girl thought this was hysterical and it was an hour more before Marrok and Kariya managed to get her to fall asleep. It was then they took the chance to step into the adjacent room and discuss serious business.

Kariya was the first to speak, "I take it that 'chased them out of the kingdom' was what qualified you for berserker?"

"Yes. I actually crippled him and after I caught her I bit her face off. There was a ruckus, but they did mostly trust me."

"So how does a wolf gain an awakened origin and the ability to wear clothes to turn into a human? Are you a phantasmal beast or something?"

"Well, I got the first from a weird wolf spirit. I never figured that one out, but I think it was another wolf with an awakened origin. The second I got when I saved my future ex wife from a demon. Apparently eating the flesh of a skinwalker gives you that ability. I think my origin kept the poisonous body of the thing from killing me."

"A skinwalker?"

"Oh, a demon sometimes mistaken for a werewolf that can turn into things by wearing their skin. Remember when I said my abilities where only fully unlocked by the assassin class?"

"You... you could turn into other things by wearing their skins?"

"If I were an assassin. In every other class I can only go back and forth between man and wolf. On the bright side, though I'm not a werewolf, my legend got mixed in with them so I got saddled with some traits of them by the Grail. It's troublesome, but during a full moon I'll be as strong as you'd expect from one of the most famous monsters in the world."

"Let me guess... that berserker ability-"

"Is my wolf form. Though the ability was tied to skins in life the legend morphs it to clothes and the lunar cycle in servant form. For reference I wasn't stuck in wolf form because she hid my clothes. She destroyed my first skin that I got from the skinwalker and my origin kept me from either killing an innocent or becoming someone that deserved to die. This appearance is something Merlin made when he figured out what my nature was."

Kariya sat down hard, "This is a lot to take in. How have I never heard of King Arthur's werewolf bodyguard?

"I know. It is perplexing. I know my only recorded feats are being trapped in the form of a wolf for seven years and healing an equally little known knight. Other than that legend remembers other parts of me as a dog and attributes one of my weapons to Lancelot; but what the hell? Wolf the size of a horse that turns into a man not cool enough?"

Master and servant sat in silence for a moment, Kariya letting everything process before changing topics, "A wolf that saved Sakura."

"I said I would."

"Thank you. I didn't think it was even possible to kill the old man."

"I'm a servant and pretty cunning."

"If you're not a particularly strong servant... what the hell have I gotten myself into? And why am I even in it now? You granted my wish already."

"I guess you'll just get a free wish then." Marrok grinned.

Kariya laughed, "He called me a screw-up, but I summoned a magic bullet that fixed everything in one night."

"Truly. I am certain he did not expect you to summon something as crazy as a sane servant with medical skills."

"Where does a wolf learn healing magic?"

"Merlin and knowledge of the land."

"Ah."

"Anything else you want to know?"

Kariya leaned back, drained from so much happening. It took him a few moments to roll back through the topics of the conversation and hit, "Marrok... what is your wish? Servants have one too right?"

Marrok frowned at first, then put on a lonely smile that Kariya recognized from a mirror, "Well, you heard my story. My wish... my wish is for a love that won't betray me."

That hanged in the air from a moment before Kariya replied, "I can relate, but would you want a love granted by a wish? Would that even really be true love?"

Marrok shrugged, "Servants can be fueled by regrets rather than wishes they want right away. I just want a chance and maybe a point at the goal I should be running at."

Kariya nodded, "Yeah... a second chance... that sounds great."

Marrok understood, noting without words that they had common ground, "Get some rest master, we can talk more and get started tomorrow. The Grail War will start soon I'm sure."

"Yeah. Good night, Sir Marrok."

The knight stood and stepped forward a few steps before fading into spirit form, "Good night, Kariya."

Next Chapter: An Impassable Obstacle

Author's Note: Yes. In one telling of Arthurian Legend the good King Arthur did in fact have a werewolf bodyguard and his tale is thought to have been derived from the aforementioned poem. Why is this not a servant in official Fate material? Hell if I know. I merged the two tales and Arthur's dog Cavall into this rendition of the character and added the whole 'actually is a wolf' thing to spice it up a little, hope you enjoy. I know he is sort of a magic bullet that just fixes everything in Kariya's life right away, but seriously any sane servant that could heal and had some means to counter Zouken functioning like Cell from DBZ could just as easily fix it. The awakened origin thing and the mysterious other wolf are going to be fleshed out much later in the canon of this fic (spoiler, the other wolf was the first domesticated wolf that later became something like a Counter Guardian :D, and it will appear as a servant in a later fic. :O!)

Next time, the grail war official gets rolling and Marrok discovers a certain King just happens to also be in it. Please let me know what you think so far of the fic. If it seems a little rush I apologize. I'm kinda writing this super casually after work and on days off. Now, I'm off to farm the Summer event in FGO! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: An Impassable Obstacle

Kariya looked at the suit he was holding and then back to the knight in front of him. It was a couple of days after their escape from the Matou house and they needed to be out and about. Staying in spirit form was an option, but Marrok noted that was not always a safe thing. Something fast enough could in fact strike before Marrok could materialize, especially with Kariya's lack of proper training with his mana. There was also the matter of the strain the Berserker could put on his body and too sudden a strong draw might make Kariya slow to react to events. According to Marrok, having his servant active would not only help him get used to the proper flow of mana, but keep him in a frame of mind that combat could happen. Kariya was pretty sure he could just keep himself alert; but he couldn't deny it was easier with the knight hovering nearby reminding him just by existing.

"Okay. How do we even change your clothes? You turn into a wolf without them on right? And you said you think the madness enhancement will affect you in that form."

"It's easy enough. I just have to go in pieces. The important part is to maximize coverage. Thankfully I can dismiss my armor and don't have to physically remove it. That would make the process far, far less smooth."

"Alright, take the leas on this then."

Marrok put his helmet back on, "I'd go with the hat but I am unsure how much sking I can get away with. First thing I will do is small things that ther clothes can slip over. Gloves and socks. You grabbd the long socks right?"

"Yeah, the longest that weren't ladies' stockings."

"Good."

Carefully, one at a time Marrok replaced each gauntlet and boot with gloves and socks. Kariya noted the barest minimum twitch in mana load. Small enough to be imagining it in the anticipation of one. He also noted that Marrok's skin wasn't always very hairy like the hole in his armor had shown. The effect of the change was normally gradual. Though he imagined suddenly chucking off large garments would be faster. It was an assumption that would be proven later.

"So, did you not have this problem in life?"

"No, it is specific to the berserker class due to the madness enhancement. Thank you for that by the way."

"S-sorry."

"I am joking. I don't hold it against you. You were backed into a corner. Anyway. Now is the experimental part. I am not sure which would be better to go with first. The shirt for being easier to put on while not sane, or the pants for less combat enhancement in case I rampage."

"You don't know?"

"This is the first time I have been summoned into a Grail War, and this is not my highest affinity class. I apologize. The Grail provides knowledge of changes to our abilities, but not how to change clothes."

"Well maybe if you go with the pants you can put your feet in before lowering the armor."

Marrok suddenly had an idea, and slapped his head as punishment for not thinking of it sooner, "Of course, Master! What was I thinking? The mention of putting the clothes over a part of my legs made it occur to me that leg armor is not one set of pants. I was thinking of them as pants when they are not. They are many separate pieces I can dispel as I pull the pants up."

"Right. Now that I look at them, those aren't pants. What were we thinking?"

"This is quite fortunate. The thighs are a large area but smaller than the entire upper body. It will give us an idea of the scale of the effect."

"Yeah. Plus now that we are thinking properly, the shirt is a button up. You can dispel only an arm and get one arm in at least."

"That would shrink the area, good thinking. And though I cannot get both arms in like that, I can put my other arm in another shirt as a sort of patch."

"Hey, if something goes wrong, would throwing the coat on your shoulders count as wearing clothes?"

"It should. Worth trying in a pinch at least."

Marrok started changing pants. Something was immediately clear. Though it helped, the pants and underwear being in the transition of being put on did not fully count as wearing clothes. It was good they had not dropped all the leg armor at once. That became clear when Marrok exposed his thighs. The increase in drain was not large but very undeniably there and Marrok started losing some of his ability for fine manipulation.

"Not fun. Shirt will suck a bit." the servant spoke in a breif, slightly harsh tone.

"I'm so sorry about this."

Marrok bit his lip and buttoned up, stopping the issues, "I said it was fine. It is good we didn't do the legs all at once. I would have still been in control, but I might have been a bit rude. Might have needed help with them. The shirt would be problematic without gloves."

"Is the sleeves thing going to be enough?"

Probably. Just in case I want you to use a certain benefit of my origin. One very lucky thing you have due to my nature is something I will trust you with knowing. Remember how I essentially have to be a knight due to my origin of nobility?"

"Yes."

"This makes me a very convenient servant for an honorable master because knights are loyal to their masters. Unless following an order would be dishonorable or result in dishonor I have to do it."

"That's... So basically I have unlimited command spells for telling you to do things?"

"Yes. So luckily you can use all your actual command spells for making me stronger."

"Wow."

"Helps make up for my lack of power from fame. Anyway, I bring this up because if you command me to retain my senses and reinforce that order if I slip I should be able to tough out any issues with the madness enhancement."

"Alright, then I order you to keep calm while changing your shirt."

"Yes, Master." Marrok twitched.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. Just... I am a canine technically, though I chose to live as a man. That almost sounded like a challenge and I have the instinctive urge to show off for my master."

Before Kariya could tell him to be careful and not try to look tough, Marrok dispelled his upper armor (except for the helmet) all at once. It was then they got a real sense of the scale of the effect. Marrok's torso grew hairy quickly and he hunched, the gloves holding in any changes to his hands thankfully. However,

"I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS SHIRT MY BITCH! FUCK YOU SHIRT! YOU ARE GOING ON MY BODY AND I WILL WEAR YOU FOR MASTER AND HE WILL GIVE ME THE HEADPATS AND TELL ME I AM GOOD BOY!"

"Marrok! Calm down, Sakura is sleeping in the next room! The neighbors can probably hear you too!"

Marrok froze. Though he couldn't see his face, Kariya was reminded of a dog being scolded.

So he took a different approach, "It's alright, I'm not mad. Just put your shirt on."

Marrok started putting the shirt on.

"Good boy."

Marrok twitched and then suddenly hugged Kariya.

"Marrok calm down!Get your shirt on!"

It was then the worst thing that could have happened, happened.

"Uncle Kariya, what's going on?

Though both separated, it was actually Marrok that gained control of himself and disengaged first, "Nothing, liitle girl. Unc and I just practicing for something. Group of nobles come around and we do this stuff."

Kariya apparently had to lie for them, though Marrok was clearly trying to lie without lying. Impressive that he was managing to get as close as he was given his condition, "It's a play. A very weird play.

"Why are you talking like that? And why where you yelling weird things.

"It avent garde."

"He means avant garde. Which means weird for the sake of art."

"Not like it much but rich people like weird artsy thing." Marrok struggled with the buttons but managed to get the shirt fully on, "Do not worry, Sakura. We are not fighting or doing anything else that you might be thinking."

Sakura looked at each of them in turn, skeptically, "What's a bitch?"

And such was the tale of how Sakura first encountered the trope of boys' love and a naughty word. It took half and hour to get her back to sleep. Thankfully the neighbors either weren't around or decided to ignore it. There would be the very minor issue of one or two of the tenants looking at Kariya like he was a gay man with a weird kink, but that was later and of little consequence. The important stuff was yet to come, and thankfully they had learned something very vital before getting into a legitimately dangerous situation.

Now fully dressed, Marrok looked quite dapper. It was just a cheap department store suit from the next town over, but it was well selected. Dark slacks with some dressier looking work boots instead of dress shoes (apparently designed for management at work sites) that blended into the look well. The pair had gone for layers since temperature didn't affect the servant much. To that effect Marrok's upper body was clad in a simple dress shirt, tie, gloves, and vest with a long dress coat over it that was similar to a trench coat. He had also acquired a flat cap to replace his helmet, though that (and the simple but trendy sunglasses he also got) were not on because 'wearing them indoors is rude'.

Kariya sighed, "Remind me to be careful about calling you a good boy."

Marrok looked embarrassed and depressed, "Sorry. It seems the madness enhancement exaggerates my canine traits."

"I guess a newspaper or a spritz bottle would be more effective than a command seal."

Marrok glared, "I am upset at that, but more upset that the Grail didn't see fit to give me detailed information on mage families. Meanwhile it gave me knowledge of what those are. It seems the Grail has a sense of humor."

"Apparently. Anyway, that was a hefty drain on my mana, but nothing major. I imagine combat is going to be worse?"

"I will attempt to not need to use my beast form, but there is no telling. I am not getting the benefit of fame without the wolf form, but my skill is second to none among the Knights of the Round. Save perhaps Lancelot, Mordred, and Arthur. All of which are premium members of the saber class if they are able to be summoned."

"Thankfully you'd recognize them on sight, right?"

"Yes. Just in case I will give you a rundown of them in comparison to me. Even if they are not in the war you will have a scale of how I compared to legends in life."

"Alright, shoot." Kariya sat down.

"Lancelot and Arthur would be the strongest because they are the two most famous knights in history. Mordred has less fame, but far more than me. In life, I was a match for Lancelot but he would normally win. Arthur I never sparred with, but the king outclasses the rest of us so much it is silly. Mordred..." there was a slight growl in his voice at the name, "Mordred is the one that killed me in the Battle of Camlann when I tried to keep the traitor from reaching Arthur."

"Ouch. How close was the fight?"

"Mordred was physically stronger and faster than any of the knights, even Arthur by a narrow margin. Lacked disciple in technique however. I managed to bring her to the point of fatigue and injured her non-dominant arm. She was still able to kill Arthur though, because the King had been dispatching a hundred or so men while I was stopping Mordred.'

"Wow. Arthur was that strong? And you held back someone more powerful? Go-"

"Oh come on! You can complement me if you want, I will not hug you again!"

"Good job."

"Thank you. I do not fully deserve that though. I failed my king in the end. In many ways. Perhaps if I had not clung to my pride as a knight..."

Kariya waved those negative thoughts away, "You did what you could and you've done so much good here already. I'm sure I've pulled a fine card for the war. Though I have to ask, what if any of your fellow knights were summoned?"

"Are you asking if I would have trouble fighting them?"

"You are forced by your origin to be honorable."

Marrok nodded, "True. It won't be an issue in most cases though. Servants do not really die when they are killed in the war, and serving my master is higher on the list for being a knight than allying with my fellow Knights of the Round. Even if it were my closest friends among them, Lancelot and Galahad. It would be favorable to team up with them until the finals however."

"Not an issue in most cases?"

"In addition to bemoaning your draw if I need an anti-army Noble Phantasm; you will do so if my King is summoned."

"You'll side with King Arthur over me?"

"No, it is just that I will not be able to betray my king. I cannot raise a sword against King Arthur."

"Even with a command spell?"

Marrok walked the few steps between them and lifted Kariya to his feet, looking him straight in the eye with sternness, "Let me be clear, Master. I will fight with you as far as I can and I will never betray you. However, forcing me to hurt my king is something I cannot forgive. Friend, master, or neither, Arthur..."

Marrok flinched, clearly trying to keep his senses.

"Marrok? Calm down. I get it. I trust you. I won't make you betray your king."

The knight let his master go and backed off, "I apologize. I did not mean to act in such a way. Arthur is a sensitive issue. I must never fail my king again."

"Understood, but that seemed like the madness was creeping in."

Marrok noted that and pondered aloud, "That... is a bad sign. If I ever get prompted to anger by something dishonorable enough. If we meet your rival and his reasons are deplorable..."

"You'll be a berserker."

"Indeed. That aside, let us do a patrol for-"

it was that moment a flare of mana, so large and grandiose that it was impossible to ignore anywhere in the city, surged through the air. It was a servant, Marrok cold tell right away and Kariya could assume that something like that was Grail War related.

Marrok shifted to spirit form and made for the roof, "That's a servant, or perhaps a master. Stay inside while I scout it out."

Kariya nodded, "Right. I'll check on Sakura."

In less than a moment, Marrok was on the roof and in the skies over the shipyard there was a huge symbol of magical energy, only visible to beings of magic. It was undoubtably a challenge. Marrok felt compelled to answer. Down he went, catching Kariya's eye through the alley facing window of their room and motined for him to come outside. He did so.

"Master, it's a challenge. One of the masters must have confidence in his card and is aiming to make this a battle royale."

"Can we win one of those?"

"Maybe. Either way, we cannot pass up this chance to learn information on the enemy. Also my origin requires I answer a challenge unless you tell me not to."

Kariya thought a moment, "Alright. Let's go. That's clear across town though. On the bright side we'll be latecomers to the brawl."

"Indeed. Lock all the windows and doors and come along."

"Right."

Things were well underway by the time Marrok had picked up Kariya and sprinted to the docks by the rooftops and back alleys. It was striking how fast and agile the knight was, though one could expect no less from a servant that was a wolf once called an old word for horse. When they reached the site, Marrok took on a very un-knightly crouching position as if to track, sniffing at the air and listening. Kariya presumed correctly that the wolf's senses were still keen in human form.

"There's at least three servants already here and there are several mages lurking in the shadows. You should do the same. I think two people here have guns."

"Guns?"

"Snipers probably. At least one of the masters is unconventional. Interesting."

"Right... what if I approach through the sewer? There's a manhole right there. I can use magic to look through your eyes and support you as much as I can under cover."

"Smart move."

"Not dishonorable?"

"Not in this situation. It is not honorable to walk into a foe's sword. That is just stupid."

"Right. I don't have much magic, butI can heal you at least. I may be a little slow from not being in sight of you."

"That will do. Get to it." Marrok headed towards the open ground at the center of the shipyard.

There was the sound of a clash of weapons and the smell of blood filled the air. Marrok's heart skipped a beat, and he took a second whiff before believing, "No... NO!"

Sprinting with the speed of a horse, Marrok came to the edge of the battlefield and stopped, taking in the sight before him. A very handsome man with two lances had a smug smile on his face. From the lay of the land it was clear he had outmaneuvered his opponent, but it seemed he was still countered. He was also pleased at the challenge. That foe, was a beautiful girl clad in blue and white, missing her armor for some reason. Her hair golden as a sunrise, her eyes a blue that made the sky itself cry in jealousy and despair that it cold not match it. Yes, eyes so beautiful that they were the origin of rain. The eyes of a 'king' standing with defiance of the wound to her arm. A wound that would make it very hard to fight with her normal style.

"ARTHUR!"

Saber whipped her view to the side, but kept Lancer in her line of sight. In his new clothes the king did not recognize her knight at first, and was stunned when the man dashed in front of her protectively.

Lancer was as offended as he was surprised, "Another servant waiting in the wings? Who are you to interfere in our duel?"

Something in Marrok's mannerisms as he held Saber back to shield her triggered her memory, "Marrok? Why are you here? You were summoned as well?"

Lancer smirked, "Oh. One of the king's knights from her life is it? That's who you are Saber, isn't it? You are the King of Knights. Such an honor to clash with you and get even a glancing blow. Maybe I'm better than I give myself credit for."

Marrok growled a little, "You dare look at my king with that grin and that charm spell on your face."

Saber grabbed his arm, "It's fine, Sir Marrok. This is a Grail War and we were having a duel."

Marrok's control started slipping, his voice was rough and very nearly ragged, "He dueled you before me! He got to you before me!"

"Marrok? What's wrong?" wheels started turning in her head at the sight of her companion so pained and frenzied, "Oh, Marrok... what class did they summon you into?"

It couldn't be berserker. Not Marrok. Saber refused to believe it. There was only the one time he had ever gone into any sort of frenzy. Surely that was all that was required, but every other time he was the furthest thing from the class. He was a loyal friend and companion before and after returning to a human form. Marrok was so gentle and kind with everyone and only drew a sword when ordered or required. He preferred his smile and a kind word of understanding.

Marrok whipped around and shouted at the white-haired woman accompanying Saber, "Heal your servant!"

Iris stepped back, startled, "I-I did! I'm sure I did! It isn't working!"

Marrok grabbed Saber's hands despite her protests, trying his own healing magic.

"Marrok, it's fine. He just outmaneuvered me."

"This is a cursed wound. It won't heal unless the curse is broken."

Lancer shrugged, "I don't like trickery, but it is as she said. She made an unfortunate mistake. Now, I will ask again. Who are you to interfere in our duel?"

Saber implored her bodyguard, "Marrok, it's fine. Are you the class I'm suspecting?"

Marrok started twitching, "My king, command me to stay calm, I can't... I can't stay calm unless you tell me to."

"Oh, Marrok, not you. Not berserker... I'm so sorry."

"Tell me... tell me to keep cool, but let me have him! I have to have him! I WILL EAT HIS BONES AND PISS THEM DOWN HIS THROAT!"

"Marrok, I order you to calm down! This is a duel between knights!"

Both noticed Lancer's master healing him. Marrok, "Let me have him... he's fresh now. It's fair. I have to... I beg you!"

Saber sighed, "You may challenge him and fight him if he accepts."

"Thank you." Marrok could not stop himself from kissing his king's hand before turning away, as if a dog licking his beloved master's hand. Irisviel was startled again by the sudden show of affection. A show she took as far more romantic than it had been intended.

Lancer was actually pleased when Marrok turned around and stepped forward calmly, "I see. A knight seeing his lord in danger. We have common ground. You need not even ask. I will relish a fight with a noble knight of Arthur nearly as much as one with the very King of Knights."

Beserker materialized his sword Cavall and then his armor, he was calm as commanded, but there was a seething edge to his voice, "My sword was made from a demon boar tusk as part of a quest to help a lady marry her love. A romantic blade that was to be a razor for a giant. Merlin's a tricky sort though and enchanted it to remove something when it cuts. Handy for a razor right?"

"Indeed."

"The problem is if you cut yourself shaving you lose your face." Berserker raised the weapon with one hand, "If you block this, and the blade cuts in, your weapon dies. I even nick a limb with this, yo lose it unless you are a powerful enough hero. This is my Noble Phantasm: Cavall, Fang of the King's Hound!"

"A fearsome grooming implement indeed."

"I tell you this not to be noble from knowing at least one of your Noble Phantasms. I do it out of spite. I will not hide my weapon from one who does so and wounds my king!"

Lancer smiled, "A truly zealous knight! Delightful. Come!"

Berserker charged first, but Lancer wasn't hesitant to join in the brawl he expected as his attacker bellowed a tribute to his slighted king. It delighted Lancer to fight such a man. He was eager to see the skills of such a zealous knight of such a skilled king. He'd lead with a thrust, mostly a feint but with intent to kill if he could land it. His second spear would come in and use the longer reach to slice at the sword hand. He'd have to make sure not to let the sword ct his lance as it was deflected.

A moment later, there was no clash of weapons. No intense exchange of blows. Lancer had impaled berserker. No, Berserker had practically thrown himself into it. It was in that moment that Lancer realized, as his foe grabbed his offending wrist and stabbed him in the chest in almost the same instant he had struck, that he had been fooled. The man fighting for his king paid no heed to the lance he was impaled on. His eyes were filled only with zealous duty, a furious vow to brutally kill the one that had shamed his king. They were like the eyes of the boar that had killed Lancer in life. A beast whose territory had been sullied. A beast who cared only to kill over that violation. It was ironic that he would fall here again to such a beast, wielding the tusk of a boar. It was almost poetic.

Blood sprayed from Lancer's mouth as the blade's enchantment completely obliterate his heart. Was Lancer not strong enough to resist the magic? Perhaps the composition of the weapon made him specifically weak to it? All the lancer Diarmund knew was that he was dead. Dead in an instant from such a mad attack. He glanced down, hoping to see that his blow had at least been fatal, but it... it was glowing. No blood was coming forth. As he stumbled back off his foe's blade that lance simply passed out of Berserker. It had done nothing.

"Y-you... you're all mana?"

Berserker looked down, honestly shocked there was no injury, "Is that what that one does? Unlucky you. This form is a magical construct. I am a shapeshifter."

"Ha!" Lancer coughed up blood, "You counter my lance completely. Next you'll tell me you're immune to curses."

"Yes. I actually am. Your luck attribute must be incredibly low."

"Indeed." Lancer fell to the ground, "Well played though, Sir knight. You repaid my trickery in kind. Well played indeed."

"Be thankful for your fate this night, fellow knight. I suffer the fate of being summoned in a war against my king. Death would be a sweet release from the thought.'

"Indeed. We are of common heart. I don't mind losing to a brother. Live this short second chance well, Sir Marrok."

"GOD DAMMIT, LANCER!" came a bellowing voice, "I CAN'T BE THE FIRST OUT! DON'T SHAME ME LIKE THIS, YOU BASTARD! LANCER!"

Lancer began to fade, "Grant me one request, friend. Spare my master this night, just this once, so that I might know that I at least saved my lord."

Marrok stared at his opponent coldly, "No. I will hunt down every enemy of my king and my master and slay them."

With that Diarmund faded away, full of only regret.

Marrok turned to the source of the voice and started that direction. Saber however, stepped forward, "Marrok wait! You were summoned into berserker class? By whom? What monster would do this to you?"

The knight turned, "My master was forced into it. I fixed his situation."

"Is that all you'll tell me? What's happened? Join me and we can take this Grail War in a night! Then we can settle this is a friendly duel."

"My king... I... have to kill the master of Lancer."

"Let him go for now. Talk to me, here and now."

Marrok jerked, "You know my nature and what a broken word is to me. You would have me cast against a vow I made?"

Saber started to apologize, but Marrok knelt in front of her, as one would a king.

"I will tell you anything that would not betray my master. If you would have us, and my master allows it, I will fight alongside you as I did in life."

Saber could only smile. Her companion Irisviel was perplexed though, and mildly enchanted at such gallantry, "Now that the battle is over he is awfully sane for a berserker."

Artoria turned to her fake master, "This is Sir Marrok, one of my bodyguards and retainers from life. If anyone could be summoned into this class and not fall to lunacy, it would be him. He is nobility in human form."

"Why is he crying?"

Saber turned to her knight, "Sir Marrok?"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her. I did my best, but she cut me down. I was going to use my other form, but I could not do so in time. I was too hesitant and Clarent destroyed me."

"Marrok... you have nothing to be sorry for."

"She killed you!"

"You did your best. I do not hold it against you. If not for you and the others could not have saved as much of Britain as I did. Raise your head proudly and stand, Sir Marrok."

Marrok grabbed her hand and healed it, successfully this time, before he stood, "My king. It is good to see you again."

"And yo-"

The reunion was cut abruptly short as they were surrounded by a tempest of lighting and the jovial laughter of what had to be a large man. From the sky descended a massive chariot pulled by two massive horses and driven by a massive laughing man. Naturally, Marrok shielded Artoria.

But it was words that were sent at them not attacks, "Heroes! Such a pair of glorious battles you have shown me! Pity that Lancer met his end befor eI could arrive. That was quite the brazen offense, Sir Knight! I stand before you as the Rider class of this Holy Grail War! I am Iskandar! KING OF CONQUERORS!"

Next Chapter: A Mongrel Put Down

Author Note: Sorry to kill off Lancer so soon in the fic. He is one of my favorite characters in a show full of my favorite Fate characters, but he had to go. Shows more of Marrok's bloodthirsty and cunning side, and (while not intended when I designed the abilities) Marrok just happens to hard counter Lancer. Plus there's no place for all that sexual tension from the show in this fic. Don't worry, the bit where I mentioned Marrok not being a powerful servant is going to come up very quickly. Though I guess you could guess from the title of the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Just starting off with this note for anyone that read the last chapter when it was first put up. I'm sorry for the monstrous amount of typos in that. I rushed too much to release that as I was headed to work. I went back and fixed it once I noticed the typos were way beyond what I deem tolerable. Eventually I will polish all the chapters, but for now I'm just writing this very casually and fast. I will make sure not to skip proofreading again though.

Chapter Four: A Mongrel Put Down

A teenage boy suddenly popped up from the back of the chariot, pulling at Iskandar's cape, "What are you thinking announcing yourself like that, you idiot! And why did we keep coming over when those two have clearly joined forces! We're screwed!"

Iskandar flicked the boy on the head with one finger, sending him flying. He then continued, "Fate has brought us together this night to do battle for the possession of the Holy Grail, but first I wish to make a proposition. An offer: What think you of yielding the holy grail to me and joining my glorious and invincible army! You would be treated as honored allies, friends, and brothers in arms! Together we shall share in the glory of battle and the joy of world conquest!"

There was a pause as all present looked at the burly man as if he were an idiot. Marrok twitched a little and took a deep breath, turning to his king and refusing to speak first.

Artoria in turn, spoke, "Rider, did you come all this way and rudely interrupt a reunion between a king and his retainer just to table that ridiculous offer? You insult me."

Marrok gritted his teeth, noting the madness enhancement tugging at him. It was nowhere near as bad as when his liege had been injured, but as the offense was triggering his origin slightly it was still incredibly unpleasant, "You heard my liege, Rider. I bid you retreat and regroup for a more even situation."

Rider rubbed his fingers together, "I would be willing to discuss compensation."

"Enough." Arthur nearly growled, "I am the king of Britain! Not any lord or knight of the realm. I could never lower myself to the position of mere retainer. Even to a mighty king."

Irisviel, trying to blend into the background, glanced to see if 'mere retainer' had offended Marrok. Of course it hadn't, but you had to be careful with berserkers usually.

Rider meanwhile was impressed with this new information, "Oh. You are the king of Britain? That is quite a surprise. I would hardly have expected the King of Knights to be a little girl."

Arthur was furious. Which meant Marrok was growing livid. It was her that spoke first though, "Then would you like a taste of this little girl's blade?"

Rider sighed, "I suppose negotiations have failed. What a waste. What a terrible shame."

Marrok stepped very heavily forward as Rider's master recovered and started to complain. When the teen caught a glance of the approaching knight's wild expression, he almost yelped, "Rider, what have you gotten us into?!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! It really was you?" A familiar, magically projected voice echoed through the area. It was Lancers master, "I couldn't fathom the reason you would have stolen my artifact, but to participate in the Holy Grail War yourself? Madness, Waver Velvet."

The teen, Waver, clutched onto Rider, who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Mage who is speaking now, am I to assume that you claim that you were to be my master instead of this boy I am sworn to serve?"

"Indeed. Now, you realize that that boy is incompetent at magic right? I am the head of a prestigious mage family and a teacher of magic. You know that you can cut your ties with that master and join a real mage. Come to my side and you have a chance of getting out of this situation."

Iskandar laughed, "That is laughable. A mage that would hide in the shadows rather than the one that has ridden into battle at my side? You are nowhere near worthy enough to be my master. Even if you were brave enough to attempt to slink in the shadows and steal another servant in the chaos. I would much rather serve a boy with ambition than a thief!"

Marrok manifested his sword once again, "A thief I promised to hunt down and kill for being an enemy of my master."

The voice did not speak up again, probably cutting its losses and fleeing for the moment.

"Tsk! I can't leave my king here with three enemy servants or I would pursue."

Saber sharpened her senses, noting along with Irisviel that only one enemy was visible, "Three? Tell me where, Sir Marrok."

"One on a high position overlooking the battle. Must be Assassin if it didn't bother going into spiritual form to hide. Not a very good assassin if it was willing to even risk one of the summoned heroes having incredible senses. If it had done its job properly it would have been completely undetectable to anyone short of Clairvoyance."

"Assassin is supposed to be dead."

The cunning hunter proved why he was his king's favored hunting companion: senses and sense, "And assassins are tricksters. The other servant is not relying on stealth abilities and every other role is accounted for but Caster, which can view from further away than either are at." Marrok pointed to a light pole, "Archer is right there in spirit form. He smells of booze and low effort carousing."

A very offended man in golden armor materialized, "I do not smell, Mongrel, and my carousing is most certainly not 'low effort'. All of my actions are as glorious as befitting the king of the world."

Iskandar was delighted, "Oh! Another king!"

"The only king. The rest of you are but mongrels that dare name yourselves kings even in my presence."

"I see no problem, for a am indeed Iskandar, the King of Conquerors known throughout the world. If you are so insistent on your claim why not name yourself? No true king should be troubled by something as simple as giving his name to those he wishes to challenge."

"So you would dare question me, Mongrel?" the man stomped on the light pole he was on in anger, breaking the light, "Me, the one true king? If you cannot discern my identity in the presence of my magnificent glory, then your ignorant blindness will serve to seal your doom!"

On that note two golden portals opened up around the golden man, a sword and a spear slowly peeking from within them. All viewing it noted that such a thing must be his Noble Phantasm. Saber quickly shielded Irisviel with her body, which was somewhat annoyingly shielded by Marrok's immediately after. Archer braced to fire the weapons at Iskandar, but it was then that Marrok heard a voice in his ear via magic. It was Kariya.

"If that is Archer it is Tokiomi's servant! Kill him and find the bastard!"

Marrok walked forward and to the side so that if were fired on he would not be putting his king in the line of fire, "Booze hound!'

Saber glanced at her advancing ally, "Marrok?"

The golden warrior snapped his attention to the king's hound, "You dare call me that, you filthy dog?"

"You did respond to it."

"Tsk!"

"You insult my king and my master has bid me to kill you. By my honor I challenge you to a duel."

Saber called out, "Marrok. Be careful. If you need assistance..."

"I will not involve you in this, my king. This is my duty."

Archer aimed his weapons at Marrok, "You dare think yourself worthy enough to challenge me to a battle? This is not worthy of the name duel or even fight. This is simply your death!"

The two weapons fired and Marrok just dodged to he side. The number doubled, wider this time, so Marrok dodged forward. Archer was livid.

Marrok was smug, "If all you have is a straight line attack from one direction, maybe you should fire at a speed that can actually hit a servant?"

Archer sneered at his foe, "One direction? Very well. You are at least competent enough to make a valid point."

Marrok only avoided the sword launched from behind him because he was quick-thinking and heard the firing. If he hadn't thought ahead that it might be possible as Archer was talking, he would be suffering worse than a deep cut across the arm. There were four more swords that came from the front to where he dodged to. They were too fast now that Archer was annoyed. One hit him in the knee, another in the shoulder. Marrok barely dodged the other two.

He stumbled, falling back onto his other knee. There was no cry of pain however. Only frustration. The wolf knight simply tore the lance from his leg and sword from his shoulder and stood up again as if he were fine. Fine other than breathing heavily.

Archer scoffed, "How many more of my weapons will I have to waste by sullying them on you? Oh well, I didn't care much for those anyway. And these are not really my color."

From the left and diagonally forward almost a the same time, another from front left. That was the one that hit, and it was stronger than the others, blowing the knight back into a storage container. When the dust cleared, Marrok was standing. Hunched over and breathing very coarsely... and his breastplate mostly blown off. Beneath as a silver-haired but still human chest. Far too much hair to be human though.

"AGGGGH!" Marrok howled, the madness creeping up. He still had his reasoning, and knew he could not simply keep taking shots.

He charged, dodging two more attacks from the left and right, then leaping... then going down hard from a powerful sword to the back that would have pinned him to the ground if it had not left a crater. The next two swords made up for that though, plunging into his now armor-less back and keeping Marrok down... for a second.

Marrok stood, forcing the swords from the ground and tore his helmet from his head. Not in the sense that he pulled it off quickly. In the sense that his hands dug into the metal and ripped the thing into pieces, revealing a face caught somewhere between a man and a wolf.

Archer was disgusted, "Normally I do not mean it so literally when I call you peons Mongrels, but an actual one stands before me. I overestimated you. You are further beneath me than I thought!"

"ARRCHHHEEER!" Marrok seethed.

Then he happened to catch sight of Artoria in the corner of his eye and glanced that way. He saw her face, aghast at the sight of him.

He lost all control. The knights bellows of rage were ungodly and incomprehensible beyond some smatterings of swearing to stew his bones in urine and burn them in the feces of something unintelligible. Gone was the knight, gone even was the beast. Madness had taken him. If there had been no hope of victory for Marrok before, the mad rush straight for his foe was not exactly going to help.

The madness made no effort to dodge the swords as they flew straight at him. The madness could only see the Archer and nothing else. The madness wanted nothing more or less than the heart of the Archer. The madness... noticed an armored girl dash in front of him to deflect the attacks with her own sword. The knight wrapped the king in his arms from behind and pulled her behind him, shielding his king with his back to the Archer and her locked in his embrace. The knight could only see the king and nothing else. When the swords would not stop their path through his bestial form he let her go and pulled himself away. Pulled himself to his feet.

Saber was horrified at the sight of him. Not the bestial form anymore, the sheer number of blades in her knight. The way he looked at her, debatably sane again and refused to fall over. Instead turning around and staring straight at Archer in defiance. He did not break that line of sight as he pulled each weapon from his body one at a time.

"Kill you... for master... kill... for Arthur... kill... kill. Not lose...", he made just one step forward, starting to glow, gathering mana for something, "AGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

Iskandar was wide-eyed, "Gods! What savage loyalty! Whatever he is trying to do, Archer may have to reduce him to cinders to stop him!"

Archer summoned a wall of swords, enough to replace every inch of Marrok with swords, "You detestable, mad dog! Begone from my-"

The golden king paused and looked to the sky.

"Tokiomi, you dare pull me from the battle! I have won! Damn you!" He waved off the portals casually,and rolled his eyes, shifting his mood suddenly, "Oh well. This was beginning to bore me anyway."

The man vanished into spirit form, a discharge of mana going off that any with sharp enough senses was some sort of magic finally taking hold and teleporting the servant away. It had to have been a command seal. Marrok was livid, roaring at the crescent moon and beating the ground. The swords vanished soon after the Archer had left, and blood began to pour from the raging beast man.

Saber called out, unbeknownst to her Kariya cried out at the same time, "MARROK STOP!"

Berserker immediately fell face first to the ground.

Irisviel didn't even need to be asked what Saber wanted her to do, but hesitated to think if her husband would want her two. Assuming this display proved the knight's loyalty, she moved to heal him just as Saber implored her two. It was then she noticed it was already underway. A mix of servant natural healing and magic.

"Saber, his master is healing him. He's close."

"I know, but please help him!"

Irisviel gathered her mana and set to healing. Meanwhile, Saber stood and moved between Marrok and Rider, "Iskandar, if you have any sense of honor please leave this instant. If you attack I-"

Iskandar raised his hands, "I am no bloodthirsty tyrant. If battle must happen it must be as glorious as it can be. Once you have put your knight back together again give him my regards. Truly a tenacious warrior. You have them as well King of Knights, for not all kings are compelled to fight beside their men as you just so desperately sought to."

"I appreciate your words and your understanding, King of Conquerors. You have my respect now as well. I misjudged you at first."

"And I you. Now, I will leave you to it. Hiyah!" with a whip of his reins, Rider took to the air again and was gone in a matter of moments.

Saber turned back to Marrok as he started to stand again, "Pace yourself, Sir Marrok. Regain yourself and let the healing do its work."

Marrok was the first by a long margin to see his master Kariya risking the climb out of a nearby swear entrance. The knight motioned with a hand and dispelled his armored form completely, calling out the casual clothing his master had bought him. With that his beast form was sealed. His wounds were gone, or so it seemed. However, Kariya immediately fell over.

The thud drew Saber's attention and she leveled her sword, "Who's there?"

Kariya winced from the sheer weight he had been taking onto his mana in the past few moments, the replenishing of Marrok's human form by donning a different set of clothes was the last straw in his ability to go on. He was dead if they didn't hold to their apparently alliance.

"I'm Marrok's master, Kariya Matou."

"You did this to him?" Saber, furious, started to close the distance, but her knight weakly stopped her with a grab of the arm.

"Please. It was not his fault. I will explain later, but I'm afraid my berserker state may have drained him. Perhaps my assuming human form from that much damage as well?"

Kariya tried to sit up, "After all that draw on me that change felt like a stack of bricks."

Marrok hurried over to his master, "I apologize. I did not think that through. It is a magical construct. I thought using a complete clothing set rather than restoring my armor would help, but it seems that much damage is still very grave to repair."

"Better in the long run. It shut off the other drain. Sorry, Marrok. I'm not one hundred percent obviously and I sent you into that blindly."

"It is fine."

"Are you okay now?"

Marrok shook his head, "No, I should make sure not to turn into beast form for a day or so. This bod is not wounded, but that one is. I cannot risk it being unleashed until your mana has fully recovered from the extraction."

"Can you recover like that?"

"Yes. No problem. My real body is essentially is spirit form right now within this body."

Saber walked over and glared at the master, "I recommend you take greater care in the future, Mr. Matou. You have the life of one of my retainers at your disposal and I will not forgive you carelessly leading him to his death."

Kariya sighed, "Of all the rotten luck. No offense, King Arthur; but we were taking not a half hour ago about how it would be the worst luck if you were summoned. Next you'll tell me that Iskandar guy's Noble Phantasm is that army he mentioned. I can't win the war now. Your retainer won't betray you."

"I would never exploit such a thing to gain the grail. I must speak with my master beforehand, but I would very much like to ally with Sir Marrok once again and claim the war. In the end, we shall settle it as knights."

Kariya nodded, "It's not like I have a choice. Marrok can't fight you, and he just barely lived through that Archer."

Marrok sulked a little, but put on a brave face, "Master, I apologize. For the loss and for trying to turn it around in my crazed state. Once we hunt down that assassin lurking around, we can go somewhere to regroup and... what is a good modern term for it? Unpack everything that's happened."

"Yes. I concur." Saber offered Kariya a hand.

Kariya took it, "Sounds good."

Next Chapter: Berserker vs Saber

Author Note: Okay, that was a bit tricky, writing a guy getting the crap beat out of him to show he isn't powerful enough, while still making him seem tough, without making him seem overpowered in toughness. Next chapter will downplay the number of wounds he took. It seemed like more looking at it in the moment. I mean Saber sees tons of swords in a guy and that's it. He actually still had some of his armor on his arms and lower torso and legs taking some of those. It has been explained before his human form is kinda like a video game shield. You have to crack it open to hurt the real body.

Yes, I have way overthought the mechanics of this guy. I have a lot of time to think while working my job lol.

Anyway, except a longer delay between releases this time. Next chapter will cover A LOT of stuff so it may take a few days. Time for that slightly overdue 'has a dream of the servant's background' scene! Woo!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Berserker vs Saber

Kariya found himself walking behind someone in a long blue cape with a furred color. Someone tall. No... it was that he was short. He could tell that after glancing to the side and seeing the partial stone walls, battlements along the top of a castle wall it seemed, to each side of them. The figure before him had a crown on, and the glimpse of golden hair he caught above the furred collar made it clear who this was. Saber, or rather King Arthur. Who was a girl apparently. Something throbbed throughout his entire body at the glimpse of Arthur beyond the cape. No, not Kariya's body. He was quick to figure out he was in Marrok's body.

Is this the feeling a dog gets around its beloved owner? The tugging of Marrok's origin? It took only a moment of thought to realize it was neither. He knew that feeling too well. That transcendent ecstasy ripping every fiber of your body apart because you can't act on it. The struggle of wanting to spend every moment looking at someone even though it hurt like staring at the sun. It was too familiar to Kariya Matou.

When Marrok whined and Arthur turned, the tiniest smile she allowed herself, the brightness behind her controlled gaze, and her words were like a pleasantly tingly fire poker impaling him through the chest and spine. The armored hand carefully patting his head was like the morning sun through your bedroom window as someone kicked you out of bed. Marrok was madly in love with his king. So madly that Kariya wondered if it were his held back feelings rather than his revenge on his ex-wife that qualified him for the berserker class.

"Do not worry yourself, Cavall. I'm simple consulting Merlin on what manner of beast you are. It is strange to find a wolf so intelligent, much less one that can shift its size."

Praise! Praise from Arthur! The urge to run a lap around the battlements leaped up into his chest and shoulders. Instead, Marrok sat on his haunches with a dumb expression and grew to the size of a horse, so that he was just taller than his king, and nuzzled her. He then licked her hand. The same one that had pet him, the same one he had kissed at the shipyard.

Arthur full on laughed at the affection, her stern facade broken briefly, "Show off. Come, return to the smaller size and let us not keep my court mage waiting."

Marrok did so but whined.

"Worry not. Even if he tells me you are a demon it does not matter. Your heart is pure and noble. You have proven that on several hunts on our way back. I trust you, Cavall."

Marrok did a clumsy but positive bark. It was like he was trying to learn a language. Kariya would later learn that wolves don't bark past their juvenile stage, so it was like Marrok was trying to use his high school Spanish lessons to speak to someone with a language close to that.

"Hmhm," Arthur chuckled very slightly at her companion being cute and reached to pet him, "That's a good boy."

Marrok raised his snout into the path of her palm and sniffed it, licking it once. Arthur retracted the hand, then tried again, only to meet the same result. A third from a higher angle met the same fate.

"Oh, so that is how it will be, hm? You challenge the king of Britain? Have at you!"

Kariya woke suddenly from sleep to the sight of a broody looking man with wild hair staring a hole through him. There was something wrong in that man's eyes, and something unnatural in his inflection as he spoke.

"You're being awfully casual about sleeping in the domain of an enemy master."

"The domain of an ally according to Arthur and her master."

It was then that Kariya noticed the command seals on the mans hand. He wasn't even hiding them.

"You aren't Assassin or Caster's master I hope."

"I wish, Saber isn't really suited to how I operate. Especially when she goes around recruiting and promising honorable one on one duels."

"Where's Marrok?"

"In the sitting room with Saber, Irisviel, and the little girl you took from the Matous.'

"He brought Sakura here?"

"He trusts his king. Of course he did."

"God dammit."

"Listen, Kariya Matou, I am willing to do many things, one of them is in fact holding a child hostage to get my hands on the Grail. However, I will not do it unless I feel I have to."

"That's not even the least bit reassuring."

"You think I don't want insurance? You could do the same to my wife."

"Your wife?" Kariya was stunned, "That woman married _you_?"

The man turned and headed for the door, "Rear garden, thirty minutes. We're going to talk about some things. Remember that I could have slit your throat or shot you just now and your servant would not have been able to stop me."

"Not exactly true, Kiritsugu Emiya." said the voice of Marrok, who materialized sitting on the foot of the bed in his casual wear, "I am a wolf remember? Fast and good ears. Territorial. There's also the little known fact of a long memory."

"Hmph."

"Remember that I could have killed you just now, origin binding me to Arthur or not, for threatening my master. You have a good thing here if you do not ruin it."

"Sound enough advice if I can trust you."

Kariya looked to Marrok, "Tell me you were there the whole time."

"I was not. I was however every time his breathing and heart rate changed to indicate he was thinking about killing you. Even that time I was in the west wing and heard it. Right now he is thinking of whether or not he should pull his gun to prove a point, but it would just be a bluff if he did."

Kiritsugu was shocked, but only showed being impressed, "The hearing of a wolf servant is quite sharp. That will be useful."

He turned to Kariya.

"Thirty minutes, rear garden."

Emiya left and a few moments passed before Kariya breathed again, "What that hell is wrong with that guy? You said Kiritsugu Emiya right?"

"Indeed."

"I saw his file in the old man's office. He's a renowned magus killer. Renowned enough to be called 'the magus killer' as a nickname. What the hell kind of monster do you have to be to be the 'the' for that kind of thing?"

"The kind that I am stunned and slightly appalled there are not more of in this war. It is a sign of stupidity that in this type of conflict there isn't a long history of assassins and mercenaries. I understand big squads of troops going after masters in big firefights never occurring. That would draw too much attention. However, if this war made any sense it would be servant, master, and a hit man for every team."

"Isn't your origin nobility? Yet you think there should be one of that guy on every team?  
"Head on conflict is my preference, but I am a wolf by birth remember? I am myself a hunter, though in my first pack I was the one that would run straight at the enemy as the decoy for those with a decent mix of speed and strength to hamstring the target into my jaws. Even without a hit man in these battles, the most successful masters are not the support ones. It is ones that can actually provide some measure of offense. Even if it is just hamstringing the target into the servant's jaws."

"So what you are saying is Emiya is the perfect master?"

"With a different servant that can accept or even directly support his style? He might have won by now. After all this is a war about fighting mages and he does that professionally. "

"So do you wish he was your master?"

"The phrasing of that is wrong, but take this as proof I will never lie to you: Would I prefer a master like him? Yes. Would I do better in this war with him than you? Probably. Would I trade you for him if I had the chance and was not unable to due to my origin? No. I am taking you as far as I can because I have accepted you as my master."

"Thanks I guess?"

"If it helps, Master, that preference is a professional one. I personally think I would get along better with you than him on a personal level, and with the berserker effect on my nature I believe that is just as important as a compatibility in styles. Even in that aspect you are not held back much because you have shown a willingness and ability to adapt to my way of doing things."

"That's better. Thanks for being open about it. About everything actually. You trusted me with pretty much everything about you right away. Even how I don't need command spells to boss you around."

"I trust you."

Kariya frowned and looked away, that statement bringing his guilt back up, "Sorry again about sending you against that Archer. I got overconfident because you decimated Lancer so easily."

"On the bright side, it was a night of showing how bad a bad match-up can be in this war."

Kariya got up and stretched, "True."

Marrok patted his master on the shoulder, "Another bright side to look on. Do you recall my brief mention as I was polishing your magic that crest worms were once resistance training for mana?"

"Yeah."

"Now that the weights are off you have quite the mana regeneration. I can already risk trying to bring out my beast form for healing and training."

"Already? How long was I out?"

"Just under twenty four hours."

"I slept a full day?"

"You were exhausted, so we let you sleep. I discussed it with King Arthur and she agreed that you should get as much mana back as possible so I could safely train myself."

"Ah. Well I feel a lot better now that I have in years. Especially after that dream I had."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Kariya thought a moment before deciding to ask, "Is it normal for masters to dream of their servant's past?"

Marrok tensed, "Yes, it isn't rare. I presume from your positive review that you got a good one?"

"Yeah. You and Arthur had a wholesome moment on the way to see Merlin about what you were."

"Oh. I remember that. That's how I learned about origins and that mine was awakened. Merlin could tell."

"Did he also know about your powers then?"

"I found out later he did, even though he didn't mention it to Arthur at the time. He set to working on this form right then apparently and waited for a proper time to give it to me."

"Hm, interesting. I'm a little uncomfortable intruding into your history like this though."

"It is fine. Not like you can help it."

"Still, I kinda could tell what you were thinking then."

Marrok fidgeted, "Do not speak of that."

"You should say something to her."

"I said not to speak of it. It is not so simple as that."

Kariya thought back to his own situation in romance, "Yeah, I can relate. Not to the whole being a wolf in your situation part, but the basic situation."

"She is never to know, understood?"

"I'd never spill, Marrok. We're brothers in arms in this sort of mess you know."

"Thank you. Now, let us go show Sakura you are fine."

"Right. We should see her. How's she been?"

Marrok motioned Kariya to follow him as he proceeded into the hall, "Irisviel has been doting on her like a mother, mentioning that she reminds her of her own daughter."

"Wait... that Emiya guy is a father?"

"Surprising, I know. However that man loves children. He will not show it to us, but I have caught him smiling at her with shocking kindness in his face."

"Are we sure he's not a pedophile?"

"Yes."

"Positive? Can you read intent as well as you told Emiya earlier?"

"No, I was bluffing. I could not smell his thoughts in such detail. That was just a common sense psychology thing. I am also very good at discerning the true intentions of people who put on a cold face to cover their emotions."

Kariya thought back to Arthur. That knack made sense. Marrok had years of practice with one.

"That aside, Irisviel has been teaching her some magic, and I have been assisting. After the strategy meeting, you should let her show you what she has learned."

"I will."

A moment later the pair strolled into the sitting room where the lessons were taking place. Irisviel was just finishing up for the night, "And that is that. Do you have any questions, Sakura?"

"Oh, umm... do you know what a bitch is, Auntie Iri?"

Irisviel immediately turned to glare at Kariya and Marrok.

Later, the group had put Sakura to bed and convened in the back garden. Kiritsugu had brought some kind small bundle and woman unfamiliar to Kariya to proceedings. The woman was an icy but beautiful woman with a precise and utilitarian (though still flattering) hair cut.

Kiritsugu was the one to speak first of course, "First of all, I what to lay some ground rules for this alliance of ours. There will be of course the obligatory ceasefire between us until all other opponents are defeated. That includes Archer, Rider, Assassin, and the Caster that hasn't shown himself yet. Sakura will be allowed to stay with us and will be taken care of. This is not a hostage sort of thing unless you force that. When it comes down to the final two, Each side agrees to separate our people safely before the truce ends. No hostage taking to gain an edge."

Kariya nodded, "That sounds fair."

"I'm the one in the position of power here though. Saber is much stronger than Berserker. I gain the least from this and have more to lose."

Saber probably didn't like what was being discussed, but said nothing. It was perfectly reasonable for Kiritsugu to want more concessions to ensure he, who had all the cards really, would not be betrayed.

Kiritsugu passed the bundle to the cold looking lady that Kariya didn't know, "My associate Maiya will be holding onto the relic Kariya was carrying as an insurance policy."

"Hey! Wait a minute! That thing is my only remaining possession and pretty much priceless!"

"So you won't be betraying me before you get it back then will you. There is no way I will be letting you carry that thing around us to use against us. I trust Marrok, but you don't have what amounts to a geas on you."

Kariya growled, but he knew Kiritsugu had a point.

"No further objections?" Kiritsugu glanced to Marrok.

"So long as it is returned before the truce is over."

"Good. Now. We're in the garden for two reasons. One I wanted to check for assassin again, and if he being smarter this time, it's fine if they know this has happened and they get all this information. We'll just presume they know what we discuss here."

Marrok reasoned, "I cannot hear or smell him, but I presume we will discuss detailed strategies in a more secluded location."

"Of course. For now the second reason is this back garden is better for getting Marrok used to being a berserker, and for showing us what he can do. If I'm getting a tool that I have to fight later, I want to see what it's capable of."

"Fair enough. What did you have in mind?"

"You'll spar with Saber. You are compelled by your very nature to not harm her, so she should be able to handle you better. The rest of us will be watching from inside."

Saber perked up, but was still inexpressive and dignified, "Oh, excellent. I have never gotten the chance to spar with you, Sir Marrok. It will be a pleasure I'm sure."

"Clash swords with him for a while, and when you feel he's ready have him go completely into wolf form. I'll trust you can handle him from there."

"Of course, Master. You can rely on me."

Kiritsugu couldn't help but notice the distaste Marrok had for Saber calling him that, "Good. Let's get inside then and the two of you can start training."

Kariya paused, "What a second. Marrok was terribly wounded by Archer wasn't he? Is his wolf form able to handle this?"

Marrok put a hand on his master's shoulder, "I will be fine. I have recovered mostly. Enough for a spar at least. Since you have recovered so much mana so quickly while resting, I was able to heal most of my wounds. Not enough for a true battle, but enough for this."

"If you say so, I'll trust you. Don't push yourself too far."

The humans left the servants to it, retreating to the relative safety of the windowed sitting room adjacent to the garden. Artoria drew her blade, the faintest signs of a smile on her face; but she did not ready it quite yet. Marrok did the same. Despite the power of the blade to remove anything on a cut, in servant form the rules dictated it needed to have its true name invoked to unleash that power. So it would be fine for the exchange.

"Sir Marrok, it is an honor."

"The honor is mine, my King."

"Pity we haven't gotten to speak much in the past day. I wanted to thank you for your efforts at Camlann."

"I failed to stop Mordred. I accept no praise for that."

"Mordred was quite the foe. Even wounded I lost my sword to him in our exchange. You managed well against the traitor. It makes me eager to test myself against you."

"You have more skill with a blade than her. I will likely fair worse against you."

Saber smiled, again very slightly, readying her blade, "You flatter me. Regardless, I bid you to spar with me at the best of your ability. With that, your awakened origin should pose no barrier. En garde!"

Marrok leveled his blade at his king, "Have at you!"

Saber rushed in, and was promptly caught off guard when Marrok's block buckled immediately, pushing the attack aside as it used the momentum of the swing to rotate the pommel of Marrok's blade so that it pointed to Saber's face. Reflexively, she tried to move her sword back to block and her feet to keep the distance correct. A pommel strike to the face wasn't what was coming though. Marrok pivoted the pommel down to hook behind the grip of Artoria's sword and bring the blade towards Saber's neck, the intent being a draw cut. A short range slice done not with momentum but by drawing the blade across exposed flesh. Artoria was prepared though, letting her sword go from one hand and preparing to belt Marrok with an uppercut.

Clang!

The flat of Marrok's blade collided with Artoria's wrist armor. He'd shifted the counter blow and tapped her arm. If he'd done the move for real he'd have drawn first blood. He then shoved her back with both hands in an attempt to throw her off balance, but she abruptly recovered and thrust fast as he was reorienting his sword. The blow was pulled and tapped his chest armor instead of piercing it.

The two stepped back to regroup and silently complement each other. Neither strike would have been kill shots in a real battle between the two, but in either case a lesser swordsman would have already gone down. Both silently agreed that Saber had scored the better blow though.

Watching, Kariya was a little shocked, "Wow. Seeing servants in a fairly even fight is something else."

Kiritsugu was not pleased at the closeness in skill there seemed to be; but he had to admit, "Those two are incredibly high caliber swordsmen. Saber's skill is more direct and powerful. Berserker, strangely, makes up the difference in power with technical knowledge."

The cold woman, Maiya, spoke for the first time to contribute her own assessment, "His preferred range is also shorter. If Saber were even slightly worse with a sword he would have her."

"Yeah. Saber's range is just beyond the halfway point of her sword and he knows it. Berserker is using everything below that so far. Very wolf-like form of swordplay."

They watched as Marrok hooked Saber's blade and tried to move her into closer range, but Saber read it and kept the distance where she wanted it.

"There it is again. He wants her as point blank as he can. Saber's got a read on it though. I don't see him winning this."

None of them could even follow the next exchange. Rather than being swordplay that was like art, it was like sword-fighting turned into a science to the point that it was beautiful. Somehow, at the end of a long exchange that took an entire two seconds, Saber had disarmed Marrok of Cavall and then two movements later Marrok had Excalibur, which he then lost in a tussle that sent him rolling back to where he could grab Cavall and answer a strike from Saber with a parry and a downward strike that was parried. At some point that the observers didn't catch, Saber had scored two more points on Marrok and Marrok had scored only one on her. The only indicator to the onlookers that contact had ever been made in the sequence was the fighters noting the score.

Saber shoved aside the wolf knights blade and came in hard to shoulder ram him for a felling follow-up slash, but a deft move to the side and key foot placement set her off balance lunging forward and wide-open for a downward slash that Saber barely parried as she took a knee to rapidly shift her facing and lunged at Marrok with a thrust.

Excalibur landed several feet away from an upward parry, and Marrok came in for an overhead swing, only to fall prey to Saber thrusting her palm up fast and hard towards the pommel, "Too high!'

Cavall landed not far from Excalibur.

The two servants grinned at each other, like two wild dogs having a good sporting wrastle. Kiritsugu didn't like that look very much. They were getting far too into it, and he could tell if it went to unarmed combat it would escalate far too much. Plus based on his sword style, Marrok was probably a very skilled hand-to-hand fighter. It was important not to risk any means of victory for Marrok even seeming possible. If it ended now, it was Saber's victory. It was clear that Marrok was as much a master of the sword as you would expect a Knight of the Round Table to be. However, Saber was much better than him overall. She wasn't even fighting at full power while he was being pressed by that much.

So he shouted out the window, "That's enough! On to the wolf training!"

"Yes, Master." Saber looked as disappointed as Marrok, but went along with it, "Alright, Sir Marrok. I will grab my blade to defend myself just in case, and then we'll stand apart from each other. Would you recommend that I get in the space between you and the house, or would that risk you seeing the others and going for them when you would not have?"

"I suppose a happy medium would be best."

"So, house to one side so I can intercept while not having the house in our view."

"Yes."

"Very well." both moved into position, "Whenever you are ready, turn all the way into wolf form."

Marrok motioned with one and dismissed his human form completely, all at once. There he stood on all fours, not wolf or horse size, but the size of a man. He was a fine looking wolf in this form, one with quite the bearing and plenty of muscles. You could shoot a wolf movie with him as the star. A wolf befitting serving as the king's hound.

Saber was pleased, "Ah, your wolf form was always very majestic, Marrok."

For some reason, the wolf did not seem pleased at the compliment, but also it was not raging. It sniffed around, and growled a little. Not at Saber, just at the smells.

"Marrok!" Saber tried to draw his attention, clapping her hands as one would a dog.

"GRRRRR!" Marrok suddenly snarled, then yelped as if pulling a leash.

"Marrok? What's wrong? Is it the Madness Enhancement?"

Kariya rolled his eyes, knowing that his unrequited love treating Marrok like a dog wasn't exactly going to help his mood.

Saber was oblivious though, "Calm down, Marrok, and come over here."

Marrok, looking depressed, walked over and sat down before looking up at her.

"Hm. You don't seem to be having much trouble at all..."

Saber moved her hand out to her side, Marrok followed it out and back to her side.

"Marrok if you have your intelligence raise your right paw."

Marrok raised his right paw and set it on Saber's boot.

"Good. I wonder if it's just the in between states that are hard? Or perhaps you are just so loyal to me that you can't-"

Abruptly, Marrok bolted, chasing a squirrel that barely made it up a tree. Marrok tried scurrying up after it twice, snarling like a rabid dog. His madness and anatomy preventing it for working out. Though he get yank a large branch off.

"Marrok st-"

Marrok could not hear the rest, as the noise of him yanking the large tree completely out of the ground with his teeth and beating the squirrel to death with it drowned it out. Moments later, Marrok brought the very smooshed squirrel to Artoria.

She tried not to look grossed out, "Good boy?"

Marrok sensed displeasure, and so he went back to the tree and grabbed it, carrying it over to her as an extra present. He sat one paw on it and had a dumb, pleased with himself look on his face.

Saber figured it out, "I see... your canine instincts are being amplified by the enhancement. You can still understand me though, right?"

"ARF!"

"Can you stay calm while I bring one of the others out?"

Marrok tilted his head, confused. Perhaps right then, Artoria was his entire world and he didn't remember Kariya? That hurt his master's feelings a little.

Saber decided to risk it, "Kariya, come out slowly and tell him to stay calm. His origin should keep you safe."

Kariya was skeptical, knowing that Marrok cared for her a lot more than him, but he was also pretty far away from where they were standing. Surely Saber could stop him. If not he had command seals.

He stepped out, slowly, "Hey, Marrok, it's-"

Marrok got in between Saber and Kariya and started snarling savagely, then he yelped again, lying down and twitching a little in discomfort.

"Buddy, it's okay, it's me. Kariya. Your Master."

The wolf started to snarl at the word master, then stopped. Marrok struggled to his feet, looking a little sick to his stomach. Later he would reveal that the madness enhancement coming into conflict with is origin is very painful.

Saber called on him, "Marrok! I can tell you are in there. We just have to temper the wild in you a bit."

Marrok calmed and stared at her.

Alright, now. Let's call on an old memory. When I met you, you came up to me and offered a paw."

Marrok lifted a paw, which Artoria shook.

"Good." Saber smiled, "I then held my palm up to show I was friendly."

Marrok licked it.

"That's it. Then I pet you." Artoria reached out to pet Marrok.

And he raised his snout, sniffing at the palm and licked it once. The same hand he had kissed at the shipyard and done this very same thing to in the dream. Arthur retracted the hand, then tried again, only to meet the same result. A third from a higher angle met the same fate.

Saber couldn't help but smile big and wide, "Oh, so it's this again is it, hm? You seek to continue our duel? Have at you!"

Saber lunged, and the palm was quickly licked by the wolf that sprinted away and to the side. Saber was quick to side step and close the several meter gap for another attempt that proved fruitless. She chased him to another tree that he ran partway up and full-on back-flipped over a petting attempt, which he spun around in the air to lick. Artoria nearly caught him on his landing, but he licked again and sprang backwards, too fast on his feet for the king of knights. He darted across the garden in less than a second and barked at her.

"Oh, ho. You think you have bested me?" Saber's mana suddenly surged up. Kiritsugu noted it was very much like when she had used wind mana in the fight she'd had with Lancer.

Kariya was of course flabbergasted, "Oh, come on, Saber. Don't you think that's little much?"

"A king must answer every challenge with his utmost!" the King of Knights erupted forward at impossible speed, causing a small crater in the garden. She closed the distance in a blink, "You shall be pet, my honor demands it!"

A moment before she would reach out, Marrok flopped onto his back submissively, doing his best to look adorable. Saber halted, observing this behavior and then began to reach down. It was then she realized... he had flattened the top of his head to the ground. Saber could not pet him on the head as she had been trying to!

"You dastard!"

Marrok sprang up and licked her palm before she could retract it and bolted away.

"You dare!"

A burst of speed set Saber after Marrok, who immediately stopped, causing the lunge to fly over him. As Saber tried to reach down and pet his head, he licked the palm yet again and then sat down. Artoria continuing her flight until she guided her weight to stop, land on her feet and dart back. When Marrok didn't do anything to evade, she hesitated and stopped, reached out with blinding speed to pet him, and her hand was licked. She shot out her hand three more times to no avail. For some reason, it was some unspoken rule that she only use that hand. As if that were the terms of some duel.

It took Saber another seven minutes to finally pet him. It was insanely jarring. Not only how bizarrely intense that play had become (ruining most of the garden), but also the change in Artoria's demeanor. She had completely stopped being the stuffy formal king. As she darted around, playing with her hound, the king bore such a wild, joyful expression that everyone observing her immediately changed their opinions of her. She was a normal person, though insanely competitive and tomboyish.

Both servants were panting heavily at the end, and Saber seemed satisfied with the win, "There, I got you. And it's clear you have most of your intellect recovered. Right Marrok?"

Marrok reared up on his back legs and did a very cute salute.

"Good. Can you handle Kariya?"

Marrok walked over and sat next to Kariya, and barked.

Saber motioned for more people to come out. Kiritsugu came out first, and though Marrok went into a loosely defensive posture, he was calm. There was no change from that when everyone else came out. In fact, he calmly walked over when Irisviel called for him and allowed himself to be petted. He immediately rejected an attempt from Kiritsugu though.

A slightly bizarre response was the wolf then went over and sat right in front of Maiya, staring at her. The woman was puzzled, "I do not want to pet you."

Marrok kept staring.

"Are you dog or man? Act reasonably."

Marrok stared.

After a moment, Maiya gave it and pet the wolf, who barked and then walked back to the middle of the group.

Kiritsugu looked at his aide quizzically, "What was that about?"

"I have no idea."

"Maybe he's a lady's man... dog. Whatever."

Saber, pleased at her knight's quick mastery of his true form, spoke to him, "That should be fine Marrok. Turn back into your human form."

Marrok barked and then reared back his head... nothing happened.

"Marrok?"

The wolf looked at himself, then tried again. Nothing. He soon looked around at himself and bounced up and down anxiously, trying again... Nothing.

Frantically he drew in the dirt with his paw, "STUCK!"

Next Chapter: Hidden Emotions


	6. Intermission

Author's Note: Non-graphic gore warning. Just popping in this breif intermission because I had an idea. Back to the main story in a few days, but let's flashback to the summoning of "Caster" shall we?

Intermission: Stacked Deck

Several days prior, a frustrated young man with orange hair stood over a summoning circle made of blood, "I'm sure I'm doing this right."

He looked over at a small boy that was shaking his mother's corpse.

"Hey, kid, do you think I should pronounce 'the' like 'thugh' or 'thee' when I'm casting this spell? 'Thee' makes more sense when summoning a demon right? But they didn't spell it that way so I'm not sure."

The boy scurried off behind a table when the psychotic red head strolled over, "Come on, kid pay attention. It's not like shaking your mother is going to bring her back."

The lunatic, Ryuunosuke Uryuu, reached into the woman's open stomach and casually pulled out some intestines, "Look, see? I disemboweled her. She's all dolled up in red. Isn-"

The boy of course started screaming.

"Dammit kid, I was gong to say a cool line about how that's nice since it's clearly her favorite color, but you ruined it. Seriously, what was so important about saying 'WAAHHHHHH! MOMMY! NO, STOP DOING THAT TO MOMMY! AHHHHH!' that you couldn't wait for me to finish talking? Kids these days are so freakin' rude."

Ryuunosuke stood and stepped back, his foot splashing in something. There was something strange about the sound, so very unlike the sound of stepping in blood that he was used to; so he looked down. Something was washing away the blood he'd worked hard putting on the floor. Leaking faucet? No... this stuff was too dark. Nearly black actually. He reached down and touched it. It had the consistency of slightly greasy water. Like if you diluted blood. It didn't stick to his fingers though, and it was a spotty, inconsistent color. The murderer didn't like it at all.

"Kid, you guys have a problem with black sand in your pipes? What is this crap?"

A slightly sultry female voice spoke up from the shadows as a figure stepped slightly out of them, her dress was soaking wet, but the strange black-sand water was draining from the fabric in an amount that made no logical sense.

"They have a problem with something in their home, that is certain."

"Who the hell are you? Are you a demon?"

"I've been called that. Mostly because people from my time had such limited vocabulary. So rude. Kids of all days are so rude. Never asking my name and calling me names."

"Aw, that does suck. What is your name?"

"You may call me Vivian."

"That's such an old lady name."

"I am from an old era."

"Cool! So, if you're an ancient demon I'm sure you know a whole bunch of interesting ways to kill people right?"

"Oh, countless. Before we go into that though," Vivian reached for the book, "May I see that?"

"Oh, sure. I used this to summon you."

Vivian took the book and flipped through it, "Modern mages. No different from mages then. They never change."

She closed the book again sharply, and then handed it back. She did it deliberately so that the book would be fumbled and fall to the soaked floor. Instead of thudding onto the floor with a small splash however, it disappeared with a large one, as if thrown in a lake.

"Hey! My book!"

"My apologies." Vivian reached down and pulled two books from the water, "Which of these was it that you dropped?"

"I dunno. Lemme see." he grabbed the one on the left. It was full of medieval torture techniques, all depicted in pictures being used on some beautiful blonde girl, "Wow, this book is amazing."

"Is that the one you dropped?"

"N-no." He traded for the other, depicting elaborate death rituals being used on some white haired, wizard-looking dude, "This... this one is even crazier! Someone really doesn't like these guys much."

"Ah, that one is Merlin." the woman sneered.

"The wizard dude from Arthur stories?"

"The very same. I loathe the man. Never follows how things are supposed to go. Just like mages have always been and always will be. He's mucked around with things again. Trying to save his pet girl from suffering that she's supposed to be suffering. I worked so hard to put that on her too! Isn't that rude of him?"

"Yeah, screw that guy. Anyway-"

"She can't be permitted to be happy! She has to suffer every ounce she's meant to. The stings of betrayal, the horrors of man. Everything! I'll not have Merlin mucking about in fate! To hell with his screwed up shipping of Arthur with her dog! Mages think they can just ignore manners and rules because they have magic!"

"Listen, lady, that's terrible and all... but how about we live in the now and not dwell on dead fictional guys?"

"Oh, Merlin never died. He's still around... just like me. And I am living in the now. The now in which he thinks he can slip a new card in the deck and stack the deck in Arthur's favor. The now in which some noble house's mage thinks he can just cheat his way to the Grail by breaking the rules and teaming up with the adjudicator. Mages should learn to be careful. If they keep trying to break the rules, they might just let something else in the cracks."

Ryuunosuke didn't notice something slinking out of the shadows behind him, "Okay, I didn't summon you to listen to you rant and do magic tricks with cool books."

Vivian smiled, "Oh you didn't summon me."

"I didn't?"

"Don't worry." the women suddenly got a very crazed look and lost all sense of grammar, "This isn't the world where a being altered events so he could enter the stories of our fellow man with a lot of magic circuits even though he's from a world where they don't exist just to eventually bang his favorite Pharaoh waifu."

"What? Is that an inside joke or something? If I didn't summon you..."

"Oh, you didn't, I just stepped in like Merlin did and helped you summon something to tip the scales back where they should be. This is the world where Merlin thinks he can fuck with me and save Arthur after what she did! She killed my son and now Merlin thinks he can just rob my Lancelot of his chance at revenge?"

"Listen, nut job, talk some sense. What did you help me summon?"

It was then the killer noticed the boy had stopped crying, but something in his gut told him not to turn and look.

Vivian chuckled, "Oh, I just gave someone else a chance to have a go. Several someone elses actually. They aren't famous so I sort of had to patch them all together and throw it all this delightful suffering you used to perform the ritual. Funny though, you were supposed to summon Caster... but all that seems to have invoked a different manner of card."

Suddenly, Ryuunosuke felt nothing. Which was odd. He was pretty sure he was out of his body, seeing some kind of figure with an armored hand on his shoulder. It was a mess of a thing. One arm an armored man's, the other a lady's. Legs like some kind of mash up of a man, woman, and an insect. It turned to look straight at the serial killer, with only a skull for a face while the rest of its head was a patchwork of many hair lengths.

"Cool!" was the last thing the teen said before he finally processed that he wasn't looking at his body from behind it.

It was just his skin.

As Ryuunosuke somehow fell into the brackish waters as if they were a lake, he watched the patchwork monster step into his skin like a bodysuit. The thing now in Ryuunosuke Uryuu's skin flexed his hand, gazing with a smile at what the teenage killer would never learn were supposed to be his command seals.

Vivian smiled, "Now, get to work... Avenger."

Author Note: Say hello to a mysterious chimeric Avenger with skinwalking abilities and a new villain that I shall call "Vivian Alter". To save you the google search, Vivian was the name of the Lady of the Lake that gave Arthur Excalibur and raised Lancelot as her son. Plot twist! Also the breif reference to another fan fiction on this site was not meant to be insulting. I just thought it would be funny to make a reference. I'm sure that story is fine. lol


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Title of this chapter not matching what you saw when you read last chapter? Well... that's the bad side of putting in teases in the form of titles when you are writing on the fly. Sometimes plans change when the flow of the chapter takes it away from your intentions. Sorry.

Chapter Six: One Day Long Filler Bark

"Was it really necessary to give him one of my suits?" Kiritsugu complained.

Siting in the center of the sitting room was Marrok, apparently trapped in wolf form. Also, in a slightly baggy suit that naturally did not fit that man-sized wolf correctly. The well dressed wolf whined, hanging his head low as his master explained.

"Well apparently his shape changing ability in servant form is linked to clothing, so I thought it would help him turn back."

Saber sighed, "The tale has it that he needs to put back on the clothes he had on before turning. Given the situation though, that's not an option."

Kiritsugu groaned, "This guy is more trouble than he's worth."

Marrok whined.

"Hey, at least he's fully in control of himself now. Plus you saw him out there, he's still a servant even if he is in this form."

"Well he's not wearing my suit into battle!"

Irisviel suddenly brightened and smiled a big smile, "Don't they make cute shirts and hats for dogs? We could find him something at a pet store or something."

Kariya grumbled a bit as he spotted Marrok's flat cap on the ground. He went and picked it up, "Hey, he forgot his hat in the sitting room, maybe."

Placing it on the wolf's head, he urged his servant to try again. Sadly there was nothing.

"Dammit."

Emiya motioned to the man's hand, "Use a command seal."

"What if that doesn't work? I'll be down a command seal! Plus that's not something I can just call on every time he needs this form." he crouched beside his servant, "Is this form at least as good as your human one?"

Marrok barked positively.

"Is it stronger?"

Again, the wolf servant barked positively.

"Then there's no problem. He can just stay that way until we figure it out. I remember seeing a dog shirt with a tuxedo printed on the front. We can get that so he's still close to how he wanted to dress."

Artoria was not having any of that, growing angry, "There _is_ a problem. Marrok doesn't want to be trapped as a wolf! How can you so easily dismiss your servant's plight like this?"

"Hey for all we know he could be stuck like this for seven years based on some twist on his legend!"

"I won't allow you to leave him like this! When he became a man again after that seven years he was ecstatic and did everything in is power to live as a noble and just human knight! He found peace with us as one of us. He prefers being a human! He deserves to be what he wants to be! Not stuck in one form!"

"Why are you getting so mad?"

Saber tensed, not having realized she had raised her voice so much. Taking a deep breath, apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean raise my voice. I'm just worried for Sir Marrok."

Marrok whined, then moved between the two of them, bopping his head on his master and then Saber then he barked positively.

Kariya was at a loss, "What are you even saying?'

"He's trying to say we should get along."

"Right, you've known him longer than me." Kariya scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Look, I'm worried about him too, I just think we can hold off on the temporary solution with a high cost. Let's ask him what he honestly thinks."

The pair looked at their dog, who poked Kariya with is nose.

"See, he's fine waiting."

Saber bit her lip, "I worry he might just be saying that so you don't have to use a command spell on something like this, but I will honor his wishes. Co-"

The Saber stopped her self, old habit almost making her call for Marrok to follow her. She had almost forgotten he wasn't her hound anymore. Not really. He should stay with his master she thought.

"Nevermind. I will retreat to the study for now if that is okay with you, Kiritsugu. Perhaps there is some sort of tome on creatures similar to him that can help."

"There isn't." Kiritsugu noted, "Maiya and I checked the catalog."

"Curses." Artoria muttered.

Marrok let out a noise.

"Yes, I know. You are immune to curses. This isn't the time for smug jokes."

Suddenly a small voice came from the door, "Uncle Kariya, I hear some loud noises and then yelli...Oh! Why is that doggie in a suit?"

Saber answered first, "Um, that is Sir Marrok."

Sakura gasped, "Oh wow! You really _can_ turn into a dog! Can I ride you? The garden should be big enough. Nobody will see either!"

Kariya fought back a groan, "Sakura, this really isn't a good time."

Marrok wriggled out of the suit and trotted over to Sakura, using his snout to scoop her up on his back, "ARF!"

"Yay!"

The wolf grew to just shy of the size of a horse.

"Wow! You can turn into a magic dog! WOW!"

Kiritsugu really wanted to tell him not to do that in the sitting room, but Sakura was just too adorable. Not that he would let anyone know he thought so. Instead he just opened the door for them, "Go play outside while the rest of us talk. You should be getting back to bed, but after seeing this I doubt you could without playing around a bit."

Marrok pranced out of the room. None appreciated how he was trying to walk in a horse sort of style, but...

"Yay! This is so much cooler than a pony!"

Sakura was happy and that was enough for Marrok.

Once they were out and the door was closed, Kiritsugu continued the discussion, "So, any more theories? You two know the most about him here."

Kariya shrugged, "Well, if it helps his power to become a man came from a skinwalker."

"Skinwalker?!"

"Yeah, a demon that-"

"I know what they are!" Kiritsugu walked over to a desk and grabbed a newspaper, holding the front page up for everyone to see.

RASH OF KILLINGS ENDS WITH NEW KILLER AT LARGE

Kariya shrugged at the headline, "So?"

"They found the one doing those ritualistic murders shortly before the war started. He was skinned at his latest crime scene and the skin was taken. Now someone's killing people and collecting skins. Whoever is doing it is doing it with precision beyond human means."

"So wait, you're saying a servant is doing it?"

" _Was_ doing it. They suddenly stopped the night of the shipyard battle." Kiritsugu threw the paper down on a nearby coffee table, "The night we met and haven't parted ways since."

"Now wait a minute! He was with me the entire time!"

"And?"

"I would never tell him to or let him do something like that!"

Saber stepped up, "Sir Marrok would never murder innocent people. He can't even if he wanted to!"

"If you're so sure, Saber, why don't you ask them what Sir Marrok did to the Matou Estate."

Saber paused, looking to Kariya, "I don't know.'

Emiya huffed at the idea, "Oh but you can guess can't you? You know the basic idea of what he did don't you? And you're fine with it."

"Listen, the Matous deserved to die. I'm sure Marrok didn't kill anyone that wasn't bad in that house. I trust him and so does Arthur."

"They were missing their skins, Kariya. Fifteen people! The mage's association thinks a master's gone rogue or something and drawing too much attention. Any more of this and they'll put a bounty on the killer."

"It's not Marrok! It can't be." Artoria reiterated, "Merlin himself confirmed his origin and limitations. He was trapped in wolf form for seven years because he wouldn't take anyone's skin. He physically couldn't!"

Kariya was silent.

"See? Even his master's unsure."

Kariya snapped out of his daze of doubt, "I am not! I trust him. Plus there's no way he had time to remove that many skins before we reunited."

"One, he's a servant. Two, you could be lying. You still haven't convinced me that you didn't tell him to do it. If his origin forbids it, who's to say a master's commands can't override it."

Saber interjected, stepping between the two and glaring at her master, "Kiritsugu, tell me to kill him."

"What?"

"Order me to kill him without a command seal."

The man grumbled, "Fine. Kill Kariya Matou."

"No." Saber yanked up Kariya's hand to remind the room that he still had every command seal, then stood there for a moment to let that sink in, "Do you understand my point?"

"Yes, point taken."

Irisviel stepped forward, "Kiri, I trust them on this. There's not an evil bone in Marrok's body."

Kiritsugu sighed.

Strangely, Maiya spoke up in their defense too, "He's either innocent or incredibly and maliciously cunning. He doesn't strike me as the latter."

Kiri thought back to the servant's prior exchange. Back when the man had mimicked his words to threaten him back, the magus killer had noted at the time there was pretty much no actual violence or killing intent behind the threat. It was just diplomacy.

He sighed, "You're right. Part of my gut was telling me that too, but I have a lot to lose."

Saber relaxed, "I understand, master. I apologize for my curtness."

Kariya wasn't so swift to forgive, but knew when to drop it, "Maybe there's another skinwalker?"

Kiritsugu shrugged, "They're supposed to be extinct."

Maiya elaborated, "The Mages' Association used the cover of the Salem Witch Trails to weed them out in masses."

"Best of a bad situation."

Kariya tried to think of something else, "Is there a chance though that another skinwalker servant was summoned?"

"Even if there were a lot of famous skinwalkers or heroes with similar powers, the odds of two being summoned in the same war is ludicrous."

Saber posed a good point, "What if it is Caster? A mage could do such a thing. Perhaps trying to frame Marrok?"

"The timeline doesn't add up. Caster would have to know Marrok was in the war within the same day, and Caster was apparently summoned clear across town from him."

Kariya clapped his hands together, "Then that means if Marrok didn't skin the people in the Matou house it would have been at least a day after their death. Wouldn't forensic science or magic prove him innocent?"

Saber nodded, "Indeed, why would he go back for the skins later in only this case?"

Kiritsugu thought hard, but couldn't think of an answer to the big quandary, "Still... how would Caster even know to do that to frame him? Or where?"

The room fell silent, there was no answering that one, at least right now. Saber could only yield information.

"There are only three caster candidates from my era. Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and Viviane. All of them but Morgan would know of his nature. Though she might given her penchant for subterfuge."

"Viviane?"

Kiritsugu was the one to answer, "The Lady of the Lake. She wouldn't be a servant though. Apparently she's pretty much a divine being, which the Grail can't normally do."

Artoria interjected, "True, and the Grail normally cannot summon outright villains."

Kariya groaned, "Then it's Merlin, the most famous magus in history?"

Saber shook her head, "No, it can't be him either. He doesn't age and I can't see anything being able to ever kill the man. He also would have no reason to make an arrangement with the Grail to be recorded in the Throne of Heroes."

"Then who the heck could it be?"

Kiritsugu put his hands in his pockets, "Maybe someone skirted the rules again and summoned Morgan le Fay. That would be easier than breaking the rules to summon a demigod."

"We should go forward assuming that." Saber agreed, "Thankfully, the actions I would recommend remain the same regards of which of the three it might be."

"And those are?"

"We should treat them as an additional Assassin with magic. All three have trickster tenancies, though Viviane is mostly benevolent. I can't imagine her even hurting someone. Regardless, if they are enemies, the best way to deal with them is the same. I imagine you can surmise it, master. What would provoke you the most if your were bitter towards a target like Morgan would be, or a bit of a prankster like Merlin was?"

Kiritsugu did not have to ponder long, "If it is them, this is good. An extra assassin means we can manipulate them and the actual Assassin at the same time with the same actions. I know exactly what we should do. Maiya and I will make some preparations on our end, while the rest of you enact the main plan against them."

Irisviel was out of the loop thanks to her innocence, "What plan is that?"

Kiritsugu looked at her and gave her the closest thing he ever showed anyone to a smile.

The next afternoon heads turned as a large wolf/dog pranced down the street wearing a t-shirt that had a tuxedo printed on it. He was also wearing a small top hat made for dogs. Also on his back was a little girl, Sakura, in sparkly sunglasses, a sun hat, and a pink t-shirt that said "Princess". Behind them Irisviel was dressed similarly but with a "Queen of the Castle" shirt on, Saber bore the "King of the Castle", and Kariya was stuck with another tuxedo t-shirt.

He was the least happy by a large margin "Marrok is enjoying this way too much."

Saber let out a barely detectable chuckle, "Yes, he always did throw himself into everything with gusto, especially to boost the morale of the other knights."

"Well, canine nature I guess. But is this really a good idea?"

"It is. If Caster is Morgan I am shocked she hasn't charged straight at us screaming like a banshee at the sight of this."

"But what about Sakura? Technically we are trying to keep her hidden from that self-serving father of hers until we find out some things."

"To find those out you need to confront him, do you not?"

"True, but I'm not exactly eager to lure out Archer, especially with Marrok in a limited condition."

"You could always try fixing that with a command spell."

"We've been over that." Kariya grumbled, "By the way, why does Marrok have a top hat as part of his costume?"

Sakura raised her fist in celebration, "Hes the foreign dignitary!"

The man looked quizzically at Saber and Irisviel.

The latter shrugged, "She said she saw it on TV."

"What kind of shows has she been watching? Though now that I think about it, if he's a foreign dignitary what am I? I don't have a top hat."

"The butler!" Sakura joyfully declared, "Onward, Chancellor Marrok! We must attend the trade summit post haste!"

"Arf!"

Kariya facepalmed, "What even the heck is this Holy Grail War?"

Saber was, of course, taking the whole bizarre situation in stride, though she had been acting out her role as King of the Castle so seriously Kariya wasn't sure she even knew it was supposed to be a joke. Irisviel was just happy to mess around outside and see more of her husband's home country. Speaking of which...

"Oo! Oo! Isn't that a karaoke shop? We should do it! I've see these places so much in anime and TV shows from Japan! Let's do it! It evens says on the sign it has English songs so I might know a few!"

Kariya groaned, "Should we? I mean, do they even let dogs in?"

Irisviel grinned, "I'll bribe them!"

Sakura guided Chancellor Marrok back to Kariya, "Let's go! Let's go! I want to sing with everyone!"

Kariya had not seen Sakura so excited in years. She had always been a pretty quiet girl, "Well..."

Saber interjected, "Come now. The orders were to have as much fun as possible. If this 'karaoke' is fun for them, then we should have it."

"You don't _have_ karaoke, Saber. It's singing."

"Oh." Saber seemed a little disappointed at first but then brightened, "We should still go if the want to. Orders are orders."

Kariya looked to Marrok, "What do you think?"

The knight barked positively.

"Like you'd ever disagree with her on something trivial." the master balked, "Fine. No promises that I'll sing though."

A few minutes later Sakura had wrapped a rousing rendition of the them song to her favorite show 'Sailor Moon", with a little dance number and all, to great applause from everyone in the little four person room they had reserved. Even Marrok clapped his paws together, albeit awkwardly. Irisviel then took the microphone and started to go up on the little stage, but had an idea. An idea that had her spin around and offer Marrok the microphone.

"Go on. I'll pick a song that won't be hard to fake your way through. I just really want to see a singing dog."

Sakura was far too excited at the idea, "Yes! Pretty please!"

Saber was pensive, "I'm not sure we should give Marrok a microphone."

Kariya nodded, "Right. Won't he get teeth marks in it? And how would he hold it and sing?"

Marrok carefully took the thing and handed it to Kariya, then mimed singing into it.

"Oh."

Artoria bit her lip, "That's not what I meant."

Irisviel was already picking a song, "Oh come on, I'm sure he wants to play too. It wouldn't be fair to leave him out."

"True..."

Kariya went up to the stage with Marrok, "Good thing these rooms are soundproofed. Anyway, hit it when he's ready."

"Arf."

Iri hit play, and immediately Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" started up. Marrok quickly darted off and snatched Sakura's sparkly sunglasses from her face and flipped them onto his own face before diving with a twirl onto the stage again. What followed was the most illogically well done canine rendition of that song that could possibly ever be done. It made no sense how well he managed with only dog noises. It could have sold records. He even did a little dance number too.

When it was over, Kariya was floored, "What even the hell is this Holy Grail War?"

"Arf!"

Saber rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling, "That's what I was warning you about. This is the result of telling Sir Marrok to have as much fun as possible. That and given that one of his few noted deeds was charming a king with his nobility despite a language barrier, Marrok's Charisma skill is likely fairly high."

Kariya looked at the display of servant information that all masters could see, "One rank below yours."

"I am not shocked."

Irisviel chimed in, "Speaking of which, Kiri was saying he couldn't see the rank of Marrok's Madness Enhancement. Can you?"

"Nope. I thought it was concealed due to him being in a form that suppresses it, but I couldn't see the rank when he was gong wild either."

"That's weird." she then changed the subject, pointing at the mic, "Anyway, since you have the mic already..."

Kariya paused and looked at it, "You know what? What the hell? Let's do this."

The man then did a rendition of Micheal Jackson's "Thriller" that was as bad as you would expect, though it was made better by Marrok serving as backup dancer, which he also did for Irisviel's strange song choice of "Living la Vida Loca".

Kariya sighed, "I may never take Marrok seriously ever again. He's even still wearing the sunglasses."

Everything was fine until she pulled Saber onto the stage.

"Your turn Saber! Sing! Sing! I bet you song amazing!"

"I'm not so sure I should, Irisviel. Singing is not really my sort of activity."

Kariya immediately grew fearful when he saw Marrok behind Saber on his hind legs, waving his paws frantically while trying to mouth "NO! NO!"

"If she doesn't want to sing, Iri, maybe we shouldn't make her."

Iri gave Saber the puppy dog eyes, "Please?"

Sakura followed suit, "I want to hear Saber sing too!"

Saber took the microphone, "Very well. I shall give it a try."

Irisviel jogged over to the machine, "I'll pick you something cute."

Kariya grew more terrified as he saw Marrok almost deflate, the life going out of his eyes into the canine version of a thousand yard stare. This dog must have descended into some ungodly hell on some prior festival occasion when Arthur had sung. That was what Kariya was thinking then.

And he wasn't wrong. The potential was there, but Artoria was not prone to showing emotions much. She didn't really seem to understand them like a normal person sometimes. So when a peppy pop song about dancing the night away with the love of your life was the song selection, it just didn't work. The inflections were all wrong, Saber seemed to think loud was the right volume, and while she managed to hold the notes...

Kariya grabbed his ears, his cries inaudible under the weight of the King's voice, "What is this forbidden Noble Phantasm we have unleashed?!"

It wasn't long before they were thrown out, somehow causing a noise disturbance to the point that someone was hospitalized. Later they would learn someone's pacemaker had somehow been made to malfunction. Such was the power of Saber's forbidden anti-infantry Noble Phantasm.

Iri however, was delighted, "That was so much fun!"

"Well... up to the point Saber nearly killed someone."

Saber was deeply offended, "That man's condition could have been caused by anything."

"I'm talking about Marrok!"

The group all glanced sympathetically at Marrok, who had shrunk down to about the size of a very big cat and was being carried by Sakura. Only weak whines came from the poor thing.

Saber frowned, "I'm sorry. I always have a problem with singing too loudly. I should have taken the time for lessons in life."

Irisviel grabbed her arm, "I can teach you while you're here."

Marrok whined at the thought of the practices. Thankfully, Irisviel's next idea was a much better received suggestion to go for ramen as the sun began to set on their brief respite. Perhaps their joy and suffering had drawn the kind of attention they wanted, but for the next few hours at least, they could relax.

Next Chapter: Call of the Wild

Author's Note: Yes, I do know Artoria's Japanese voice actress is a good singer, but does Saber really strike you as someone that can sing well? She probably would with lessons, but give me this. I really wanted to lighten things up a little. Anyway, next chapter we get some clues on Avenger's possible nature, why he's trapped as a wolf, and a flashback of when Marrok's origin was awakened. No promises on a release date though. It will be a beefy chapter.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Call of the Wild

Ouch. For some reason Kariya ached everywhere. Severely. As if he'd been mauled half to death by a...

He opened his eyes and saw a snarling wolf right in front of him. A massive one easily twice his size. The man mentally freaked out, but his body didn't. That was a weird sensation, to feel terror but get none of the surges of adrenaline. Wait, no, those were there but had already been in effect. There were also a dozen other sensations tugging at him, though all felt like he was watching them.

"Here we go again." was the thought that entered Kariya's mind as he realized he was once again dreaming of his servant's past, just days after the former.

Which was good, Irisviel had been trying to encourage them to happen with magic to fish for clues as to Marrok's problem. This didn't seem like the right target time though, as Kariya noticed his apparent fight with this massive wolf was encircled by other wolves. This was before Arthur most likely, and probably before he became a skinwalker considering it was sort of implied he lived as a human after he gained those abilities. Kariya quickly noted there was no pull from his origin either as there had been before. This was _way_ back.

The larger wolf towered over Marrok with body language and growls that meant, "Surrender, Bizuneh! I not lose a good hunter in leadership fight."

Bizuneh? Oh, right. Marrok had briefly mentioned he was also known by that name but threw it away. It must have been from his wolf days.

'Bizuneh' glanced over to a specific female wolf in the crowd and then snarled at his foe, "Never! You take us too close to humans. They hunt us because you go for the easy prey in the log shapes!"

Cows? In fences?

The larger wolf, called Canis, snarled back, "They hunt our prey so I hunt theirs! Fair!"

Bizuneh growled and drove. Canis went to grab the back of his neck in his fangs but Bizuneh had apparently fallen prey to that already and adjusted his lunging speed. The bite hit a thicker part of the neck than expected and could not find purchase. Bizuneh got under the big wolf and fought very unusually for a wolf from the few documentaries Kariya had idly watched. Instead of going for a front leg to flip the enemy, he went for a back leg, using his body to sort of lift the larger wolf up from beneath. It was sort of like a wolf form of fireman's carry, the larger wolf held up along his back. There he wiggled and tried savagely to shift his weight off, but Bizuneh was thrashing as he gnawed and tore at the rear leg, canceling the movement for the most part.

He was going to town on that leg too. Ripping and tearing like he was trying to eat it off of him. It would have made Kariya sick to his stomach if he had his stomach at the moment. It was ludicrous. According to those documentaries, these duels for leadership were usually not this extreme, as big injuries meant you were pretty much dead and the pack would lose a member over a dispute. They normally only went the minimum they needed to prove a point if they even fought at all. This was a death match. Kariya could feel it. Bizuneh hated this wolf for some reason that went beyond the desire to be alpha.

And after sifting through the body language of onlookers, Kariya discovered that Canis was Bizuneh's father. Didn't that sort of make Bizuneh a prince? Not that wolves had a system of inheritance through birthright. It just tended to work that way because the offspring of the best wolves in the pack tended to be the best wolves in the pack too.

When Canis finally got off Bizuneh's back it was because the wolf had locked a vice grip on the leg and thrashed in time with his struggle to throw him down. The leg was torn out of socket and Bizuneh proceeded to yank savagely at it as if wanting to rip it off completely. Canis' animal instincts steered him only to panic and yelp and thrash as his son pulled at the leg.

Body language and growls needed no mouth to communicate, "Yield! Yield or die!"

Canis was his father after all, though Canis proved that Bizuneh was weirdly far better spoken for a wolf, "No! You lead us to starve! You yield to man! I will not yield to you or man!"

Bizuneh ruined the leg and as his father howled he lunged for the throat and killed him without hesitation. Not a single wolf seemed to lament the death any further than having lost a good hunter. Kariya could pick up a little animosity from the pack there for Canis, probably related to how Bizuneh had mentioned humans hunting them for going after their livestock. Weirdly, in a way it had been Canis trying to change the ways of the pack and not the usurper Bizuneh. Kariya would have never pegged his servant as a traditionalist even with his knight-like devotion to Saber. That, and even though such brutality was not strange to animals fighting for their lives, Kariya couldn't help but think that the berserker class was more suited to the wolf that would one day be Marrok than he'd originally believed.

Bizuneh went over to that specific female he'd glanced to and licked her affectionately. She started to treat his wounds by licking them. She had not been the alpha, instead second fiddle to the last pack leader apparently. She was now though, because Bizuneh loved her. Kariya realized the she was the reason he hated his father. Was it common for wolves to develop animosity over love interests in the pack structure? Kariya had gotten the impression that Bizuneh was oddly intelligent already for a wolf, even though it did not seem his origin had awakened.

"I am alpha now." Bizuneh declared, "This is my alpha mate. So I name her, Rhymhi."

Apparently in wolf packs, or this one at least, only the alphas had names. However it was then that Bizuneh proved himself not to be a traditionalist after all, and he proceeded to name every single wolf in the pack that had successfully contributed to the hunt. Those too young were named by Bizuneh's opinion of their potential and warned to live up to it. A new rule was apparently that if you shamed your name you lost it.

Kariya felt himself trying to wake up, but this dream was being induced with magic. Instead, Kariya uncomfortably shifted forward in time. This time, Bizuneh was on a hunt with a small group of five from the pack, teaching two young ones to hunt. They had fanned out a bit to better sweep for prey. There was one such youth next to Bizuneh who was already as large as he was. Kariya discerned something from the string of emotions in his servant's heart. Something he somehow hadn't expected.

Bizuneh instructed his son, "Bardulf, stay low. There is another smell here.

"What that? Smell it around, but never see."

"It is wildcat. Small, quiet, and fierce. Never fight it, Bardulf. It will hurt you more than it's worth."

"I am stronger than Father. Can beat?"

"Maybe, but as I said, it is quite fierce. Not worth the risks. Focus on the deer we are after."

"Yes."

Kariya couldn't help but observe that Bizuneh's son had not inherited his intellect. He was ambitious though and good natured. He had Bizuneh's elevated emotional spectrum at least. The youngster was incredibly eager to prove himself to his father and surpass him, but there was clearly love in it. Not merely instinct to be alpha. Bizuneh felt he would be an adequate alpha someday, as he was physically and even mentally superior to most of the pack.

Suddenly, a deer was visible trough a break in the trees. The pair stalked closer (Bizuneh had to correct his son, but Bardulf was receptive and followed the direction well). However, suddenly the wildcat revealed itself by leaping out of a tree onto the deer's back, locking a vice grip with its fangs and claws onto the back of the deer's neck.

The deer thrashed, and bucked, and kicked. There was no getting it off though. It instinctively bucked its head back, doing an action that was the reason wolves could not attack the same area. A wolf was so large that the creature's horns would cut and impale it, the wildcat though was barely twice the size of a large house cat and Bizuneh assessed it was a super-dense 45 lbs. That little size and that much weight in a fairly sleek frame meant muscle not easily thrown and a body out of reach of the horns. A perfect attack for its anatomy. So perfect it was like nature had made a spot just for it. Nature had deemed that when the tiny thing attacked a beast easily ten times its size the prey would start stabbing itself in its panic. Bizuneh observed this, and found it a bit horrifying. He had also seen wolves try to take one before. Given the thing was mad enough to hunt like it was, you can imagine how that went.

The deer eventually tripped in its panic and the cat dismounted with surgical precision, going for the now ground level throat with such fervor that it practically devoured the poor beast's throat as it went. This was no simple cat. This was a natural born demon. A barely over three foot long nightmare on four legs.

"Hey! That our deer!" Bardulf darted at astonishing speed at the creature, "Give deer!"

"Bardulf no!" Bizuneh gave chase, but his son was much faster than him.

The foolish young wolf barreled headlong into the wildcat, who immediately went berserk in self-defense. It was like someone beating a dog to death with a weed whacker. It was ungodly. The thing tore straight into the throat of the wolf trying to bite it. The thing was mechanically efficient and ungodly quick. When Bizuneh got to the situation it immediately backed off a little and hissed at him. So he stopped, having noticed what it meant that the cat was not backing further from Bardulf. His son was out of the fight and done for.

Bizuneh growled, but took a warning stance rather than an aggressive one. He circled so that when the cat moved to keep Bardulf between them it would end up next to the deer. Much unlike a berserker, and perhaps much unlike a wolf, Bizuneh was compromising. He consciously knew that they were in the wrong and tempered his anger over his son's injury for the moment.

"Take deer. Let me have wolf back."

The creature seemed to understand that Bizuneh was not going to attack, but when he went for the barely breathing Bardulf; it hissed and stepped aggressively to defend its second kill.

Bizuneh answered in kind, "LET ME HAVE MY SON!"

The cat backed off and Bizuneh dragged Bardulf o a safe distance. There was nothing he could do for him. After all, wolves don't do magic or learn medicine. All he could do was lick the wound. When that didn't work, he tried putting something on it to keep the blood in, figuring out the whole pressure on bleeding thing through crude reasoning. The whole scene was painful to watch, especially given that it took hours for the poor thing to die. The wildcat was long gone by then and Bizuneh couldn't bring himself to kill his son, doing everything he could think of to save him. However, Bardulf died.

Bizuneh lay there for another hour, protecting his son's body and mourning. None of the hunting party came their way. It was then that a very large but emaciated wolf came strolling up. Bizuneh growled weakly, knowing that wolves are perfectly fine with eating other dead wolves. The sickly wolf did not threaten, it simply sat.

"I'm sorry for your loss." the creature spoke even more eloquently than Bizuneh with body language.

"What do you care? None of your kind understand this. They would tell me bring him back for food. I should... but can't feed my son to my family."

"I understand you fine. You love your son."

"What is love?"

"What you have always felt for your son when he excelled, and what made you never give up on his failings."

"I see."

"He is gone though. May I please have his meat as sustenance? I am too weak to hunt."

Bizuneh thought a moment, and started to refuse, but after another moment got up from his son's corpse, "You may. We don't need his meat, you will die without it. If he must be eaten, let it mean something."

"Thank you." the strange wolf went over and began to eat. He stopped when he noticed Bizuneh watching intently, "You are not averting your eyes?"

"I failed him, I will see him to his last. I watched his death, I will watch him save a life."

With that, there was suddenly what amounted to a smile on the strange wolf's face, "You... you are like me. I thought so, now I am certain."

"How so?"

"You are much smarter than the common wolf, you care more, and there is a trait that defines you. A trait so close to but not entirely awakened. I can sense it."

"What do you mean?"

The large wolf put a paw on Bizuneh's head, and suddenly he felt very strange. Stronger, more driven, more fulfilled. Like everything made sense when it hadn't before.

Kariya's body tried to wake up; but again it was, painfully this time, forced to stay in this state. Once again he moved forward in time, this time he was on the outskirts of a farm. Bizuneh gazed longingly at his mate Rhymhi, who had been accepted into the farm and was tending three pups. None of them were Bizuneh's. He turned and left quickly as the farmer's male dog trotted out of the barn and looked around suspiciously. Bizuneh didn't want to disrupt the life she had chosen. Life among man was peaceful after all. There she didn't have to worry about losing children to wild beasts. She could have all her young live instead of being lucky if even one lived. Plus, he expansion of man didn't matter if you were a part of it.

It made complete sense to leave her there. It was the right thing to do, and how close to home that ache struck nearly ripped Kariya's heart apart. Bizuneh was fortunate though. He had grown tired of the company of his species. None of them were more than normal wolves. Even the most clever were still guided by instinct and base logic rather than higher intellect. The difference between Bizuneh and the others had simply grown larger since that day long ago that he had lost his son and met the strange wolf. In fact, he had months ago simply yielded the position of alpha when challenged. He didn't feel fit to lead them anymore. He wasn't one of them. Rather than a blessing, the awakening of his origin had been a curse that tore his life apart.

It was not far to the den. Not because they chose to live only a mile or so away from man, but because there was nowhere left to go to not be relatively near a farm. When he returned however, he was met with a horrific sight.

His entire pack, torn to pieces.

Sniffing around, frantic, he found a strange scent leading into the camp. It smelled like deer, but something else was mixed in with it that Bizuneh didn't know. That scent led to a deer corpse. No... just the skin. There the strange scent got stronger. Something had been hiding in the deer he concluded. That scent was in a clump in the middle of the den near the largest amount of wolf bodies but vanished near a wolf body that was missing the skin. It was Jargo, the current pack leader. Whose scent trailed off from the body mixed with the strange scent. Something was hidden in Jargo, Bizuneh deduced, and he sprinted along that trail.

It took him hours to track the thing hiding in Jargo to the body of a wildcat. Missing it's skin. It took him another half hour following that trail to the body of a man that had gone hunting, probably not long ago. There was the body of a familiar hound next to it. The dog from Rhymhi's farm. The human, the man that had claimed the lands. A man Bizuneh would later learn was a minor noble on he outskirts of Arthur's lands. It was the man that was missing his skin. Something was hiding in the man.

Bizuneh knew where the scent would lead and ran as fast as he could... it would not be fast enough.

Moments later, despite all magical attempts to keep him in the linked dream state, Kariya woke, screaming, "NOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOO!"

He frantically shoved Irisviel from him and clamored onto the floor, momentarily forgetting he was bipedal. The master cried out again and again. "NOT THEM! NOT THEM! THEY WERE HAPPY! THEY WERE FINE! I LET HER GO! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE!"

Irisviel motioned at him, "Saber, restrain him!"

The servant did so. Marrok getting into his masters field of view to insure him that he was there. Saber was clearly unsettled, "What's wrong with him?"

"I was worried about this. The books say forcing the link to stay is risky, but three is the standard limit. Whatever he saw, he must have seen something horrible that resonated with him. He thinks he's Marrok."

Marrok made especially sure he was visible to his master.

Who calmed a little, muttering, "It killed them... not for food. Not even for their skins... it just wanted to kill them. It took that man's skin just to butcher everything he loved. Bizuneh saved the wife... saved the wife. She didn't deserve it though."

Irisviel was confused, "Who's Bizuneh?"

Marrok turned and barked.

Artoria elaborated, "That was his name as a wolf."

"Wolves name each other?"

"Not usually. He did though." Artoria shook Kariya gently, "What do you mean she didn't deserve it? Is that Marrok's ex-wife that betrayed him? Is that why?"

"No... no... Marrok didn't understand it when he saw it in the basement back then. That was his ex-wife... but he didn't know what the circle was."

"Circle?"

"The nobleman's wife, Marrok's ex-wife... _she_ summoned the skinwalker back then."

Marrok sat down hard and froze, wide-eyed, before letting out a long howl mixed with sorrow and anger.

Next Chapter: Castle Under Siege


	9. Chapter 8

Author Note: This chapter has some not extremely explicit but still gross gore in it and a character is threatened with somewhat graphic violence, so fair warning.

Chapter Eight: Castle Under Siege

Kariya was still shaking nearly ten minutes later as he sipped on a cup of tea. Marrok was seated beside him on the sofa, lamenting that he could not recount the the story of his past himself. He felt that way even though Kariya was a better witness to the events, having just seen them and having noticed things in the area from a magus' perspective.

"He didn't know it at the time, but he farmer seemed like a nobleman. His wife and him were arguing that morning. Marrok didn't care about or understand the angry voices at the time and barely noted them. She was angry that he wasn't trying to leverage his status into earning more money and status. He just wanted to be good to his land and raise crops his people could use."

Artoria though a moment, "This was on the outskirts of my kingdom near France, correct? On the lands that would become Sir Marrok's?"

"Yeah?"

"I vaguely remember an animal attack in that area, though I may be recalling a later time. That farm was a small but well respected one. I remember the lord of that area being very industrious and charitable from his start there."

"Marrok doesn't remember the human opinion of the area from then, but his den was closest to that farm because the farmer respected the pack. He tended to hunt light and didn't hunt them just for being wolves."

Saber frowned, "So Marrok wasn't the only good person to fall victim to that woman's treachery. She summoned a demon that could take human form."

Irisviel was mortified, "Mages can be ruthless, but to make a pact with a demon to replace your husband and gain standing... I wish I was more surprised a magus would do that; but that's still extreme."

Kariya looked at the pair of women, "Do you think she could be Caster?"

Saber shook her head, "Not only does that sound very much like an outright villain; but I do not even remember her name and I lived in that era. She amounted to nothing unless she grew to fame elsewhere under an alias. Why would she be recorded in the Throne of Heroes?"

Iri shrugged, "I don't know about any noteworthy demon summoners from that point in history other than Morgan."

"And she certainly does not seem to be Morgan. There would be no reason for her to be there."

Kariya took another drink of tea and that seemed to get him the rest of the way calm, "Her name, at least at the time, was Amelie. I've never heard of her either, though I'd never heard of King Arthur's werewolf bodyguard so what do I know?"

Iri looked at Saber on that note, "Why _haven't_ I heard much about Marrok in your legend? That sort of thing seems like it would stick out."

"Doesn't it? The grail provided me with knowledge of what was written, and he's only in one recounting. Many things other than my true gender are slightly wrong in tales of me. Not only that, but he rarely ever boasted of his deeds like the other knights did. Another knight would go to a town troubled by a drake and drag its corpse in, declaring the town should celebrate freedom from it. Marrok would just head out, kill it and leave. Sometimes people would not even know their troubles were gone until they never showed up again. Even I probably do not know everything he did for Britain. All the legends say of it is that he went on to perform great deeds."

Kariya noted, "So in movie terms, nearly every act that could have earned him fame was off screen."

Saber nodded, surmising from what little she knew of these 'movies' that it was apt enough. With a smile, she patted Marrok on the head.

Iri suddenly thought of something, "Saber, you've been smiling at lot more recently. Ever since Marrok first turned into a wolf."

"Have I? I did not notice."

Iri was fairly certain she'd cracked the case. It had been right in front of them the entire time. Due to his origin Marrok just naturally followed his king's orders unless they were dishonorable. The thing is: what if Marrok (even subconsciously) believed that Arthur had an unspoken desire for him to stay a wolf? If he believed that being a wolf would serve his king truer than obeying what she only said she wanted; would that force him to stay in that form?

She started to bring this up, but there was suddenly a crash in the other room and yelling, followed by gunfire. The servants readied themselves for battle, Saber darting to the door with Marrok at her side. The pair spotted slowly spreading flames and broken glass, and a crazed man full of holes among them both. Across the way...

"Kiritsugu!'

He was standing there putting more holes in the man that seemed to do nothing. However when Saber yelled out, the wild man turned from her master and trotted unnaturally at her, "ARTHUR!"

"Master go around he corner!"

Kiri did so immediately and fired at something else down that hall. Saber pointed her sword forward and blasted a shot of Invisible Air with great force at her aggressor, driving out the flames through sheer force and driving the wild man flat against the far wall. _Literally_ flat against the wall.

Kiri shouted, "Whoever killed these people made their skins into attack familiars! They don't go down even to being cut!"

Saber lunged forward, as she darted fast the window another of the puppet skins leaped in through the widow at her, only to get snatched from the air by the snapping jaws of Marrok, who tore it apart like a dog wrecking a rug. The parts simply animated separately and lit on fire, catching the wolf in the conflagration. However... the fire didn't burn him. He didn't even catch on fire. There was only one explanation. The pieces were still moving though, so Marrok simply shredded them more.

Saber, in almost the same moment, released her sword from the sheathe of wind mana and bisected the first one, the fire simply poofed out, "These things are nothing to a holy sword, but are demonic magic nonetheless. Get behind me master!"

Kiritsugu did so, noting the one Marrok had intercepted. Artoria finished it off with a hack of her sword to the flames. He then noticed the door was open back into that room, "What about the siting room?"

The sound of a wolf growling and a wet slamming explained where Marrok had rushed to. Back into the sitting room in anticipation of the attack. When Saber and her master entered once again, they saw three of the things in the room already, Marrok having slammed one into another and into a wall, pinning them there. Iri had diced the third with magic, but that had only set the room on fire.

Saber yelled as she swiftly dispatched the nearby pinned pair and leaped over the sofa to permanently put down the last, "Don't let the flames touch you! This kind of fire burns away life force, even the lifespan of objects. Rather than heat it is like a curse."

She dispelled the flames with a forceful gust of wind mana.

Kiri had barred the door on their side already and motioned to the other, "Maiya was patrolling that side, and there's an escape route that way. Saber, make sure Irisviel gets out of here."

"What about you, Master?"

"I'm trusting you with my wife so that I can go get Maiya. This has to be Caster and if that's the case the master has to be close by."

Iri pleaded, "Don't be reckless Kiri! Come with us!"

Saber reiterated, "I must insist, Master."

Kariya knocked a newly arriving one back out of the broken window with an impact spell. Sort of a crude version of Gandyr he'd learned from Irisviel in a day or two, "We need to move either way! Marrok can go with Emiya. I'll stick with the two of you."

Kiritsugu saw the logic, "Marrok can track both Maiya and the master by scent. Good call."

Marrok let out a grumbly bark with an imploring tone.

Saber somehow understood that, "That's right! What about Sakura? She's in the other direction!"

Kiritsugu glanced a Kariya and then to Marrok, "We could probably kill the master faster if Marrok came with me, but...'

Kariya sneered, "That doesn't matter! He can catch up to you!"

Saber moved to the window as a few more tried to storm in.

"Right." He looked to Marrok seriously, "I don't care about the building, do whatever you have to in order to save her."

"Arf." Marrok then motioned for Kariya to still go with Saber.

"I should go with you!'

Marrok barked back an obvious no, and then headed for the door they just came through. Kiritsugu shoved Kariya towards the other, "He'll be faster without a rookie mage with him that he has to protect. Let's move!"

Kariya sighed, looking at his hand, "He can't permanently kill these without a holy weapon, so just in case. Marrok, I command you to use the full spectrum of your abilities to save Sakura."

The command seal pulsed and surrounded Marrok briefly in red energy.

Saber, free from handling the most recent attack, approved, "Excellent, a boost to the task phrased so it might lift his limitation. A fine use."

Marrok yipped at them to go and started growing, not stopping at the size of a horse, instead his back nearly touched the ceiling. Kariya felt a large drain on his mana, not debilitating, but the pull was enough to make it clear the without a command seal that much of an increase would have been impractically costly. He followed the plan and moved with the group as Saber took point. As they left the room he looked back to see Marrok taking a shortcut by pulling a wall down instead of taking the hall. It was then that Kariya felt better about the power of his servant. He understood how much the match-up with Archer had limited the wolf. Against a close range fighter, the wolf form of Marrok might actually stand a good chance of winning.

Progress towards the point that Kiritsugu was to split from them to search for Maiya was quick, as Iri was actually quite powerful in hallways. Her magic of choice seemed to put out strands of magic that sliced at targets or bound them, so any charge was simply automatically fated to fail. These things might have been on the level of lesser demons, but such a thing was barely as threatening as a magus fresh out of training. Even without Saber, Iri and Kiri were well beyond most common mages. Kariya didn't even need to use any magic himself, which was nice as it freed more of his mana for Marrok.

Fortunately, Maiya just happened to have made it to the split point, shielding her face from smoke with a handkerchief tied about her face, "Kiritsugu, I have cleared the escape route the best I could, the fire extinguishers don't seem to work on these flames, but they do disrupt the familiars."

"Demon magic."

"Ah."

"Your assessment?"

"I saw the angle of attack from the aviary. The source is likely to the direction opposite the escape route."

Irisviel looked to Saber, "Do you sense a servant?"

The king of knights shook her head, "No. It is either too far away or using something to hide itself. Perhaps staying in spirit form."

Kiritsugu had Saber clear the path of flames and pieces of demon, "Maiya, go with the two of them. There's a chance they might be trying to flank us. I'll stick to the shadows and play it safe until Marrok comes to me and we can get the master."

Irisviel got a pained expression on her face, "Kiri, if these are made from casters victims, how many are there?"

Kiri didn't want to say, but, "If they are all here... one hundred and thirteen."

"That many?"

"The arbitrator just an hour ago put a bounty on the head of the team responsible. Forget that and get going."

Kiri darted off, leaving his wife and his Saber with a worried expression, but at Maiya's urging they quickly ran towards the escape route. It didn't take more than a minute to get there, as Maiya had disabled, but not killed the demons that had filled the halls they needed to take. Saber simply brushed the obstacles they made aside and lead the way into the library containing the escape door.

And a red head with a crazed look, a butcher knife, and command seals.

Saber was stunned, "Caster's master?"

"Arthur..."

Maiya moved Iri further away and shielded her, "Something's not right."

One eye of the boy followed Maiya's act as the other remained trained on Saber, "Pretty faces... pretty faces with strong bodies. 'Cept the pale one. The pale one's dying."

Saber glanced back at Iri, "Irisviel?"

Kariya interrupted, "Nevermind that! That's not a master! I can barely make it out but it has a profile with 'Presence Concealment' on it."

The boy laughed in an inhuman way, almost cartoonishly, "Nobody care if I take the dying lady's body, right? She very pretty! I can get good prey with that!" The boy licked his lips and then teeth at Arthur, "You marry chicks right? Would you fuck her? I'd fuck her."

"Shut your mouth, Demon!" Saber darted forward with blinding speed, but the creature charged immediately right back at even higher speed, grabbing Saber by her face and dragging her back into the hallway with the lunge, putting her halfway into a wall.

It turned, "Those pretty faces easier. Get those first."

Saber recovered faster than it expected though, and grabbed it in a full nelson, "You dare turn your back on a king and call him defeated with just that? You three run, I'll handle this foul thing!"

Iri instead moved to support Saber, but Maiya grabbed her, dropping some sort of explosive and forcibly carrying her to the exit despite her protests. Once the three of them were inside the passage, Maiya hit the button on the detonator and collapsed the way in behind them.

"We have to help Saber!"

"We have to get out of here. Whatever that servant's nature is, it's clearly the type of being that would use us against her in a fight. It already tried to come after us once. We were just lucky it was in our favor this time."

"But..."

"I will knock you out if I have to, Mrs. Irisviel. I like you, so I will hurt you to keep you safe."

"You like me?"

Kariya rolled his eyes, "Don't latch onto those kinds of things in this kind of situation."

Iri gave in and stopped struggling, "Very well. I've calmed down. You're right. We have to escape so they can concentrate on fighting. I just wish I wasn't so useless here."

"Understandable." Maiya advanced as fast as she could while carrying Iri.

"You feel the same. I can tell. You act like a machine, but you care about Kiri, and apparently you like me. When this is all over, I'm forcing you and Saber into some girl talk. I'd invite Sakura, but she's too young for talking about boys."

"I would rather you talk about what that thing said back there. If you are ill..."

"It's fine. And you can put me down. I can run."

Maiya did so, but looked at Iri frankly, "I won't let a hidden illness keep Kiritsugu from his dream. If you are dying-"

"I'm not. Not technically. Kiri knows what's going on, but he doesn't know it's progressing. Keep it from him. I don't want him distracted either and I won't be in the way."

"Very well. Either way, let us focus on the now."

Kariya nodded as they started moving again, "Speaking of which, we have to be sharp. That thing had Presence Concealment. I could barely make it out for some reason, but it was those words followed by two English letters. From what little I know, there is only one rank with two letters and that's the highest one."

Maiya mused, "Is that how it and those things got past the bounded field undetected?"

Iri stopped, a scared look on her face, "No that's not possible. It should still have detected the demon minions, even if summoned inside it. I just checked the sensors directly. It was taken down without me even noticing."

"How is that possible? Wouldn't you notice even if you were casting something else?"

"Yes."

Maiya glanced at Kariya, who raised his hands defensively, "I don't even know how to bring those down!"

Iri shook her head at the idea of treason, "Almost no modern mage could do that without me knowing. I put so many safeguards in that barrier it would take a magus on the scale of the Age of Gods to do that level of dispelling."

"That thing didn't seem like a Caster though. It was giving Saber trouble in a direct fight."

Maiya pulled at Iri's arm gently, "Lets talk about this later, we're too close to that creature, whatever it is."

That was something they all agreed on and the trio ran accordingly, making good progress out of the building. They didn't know that the creature fighting Saber had broken free off her grasp, or that it had called in the bulk of its minions into the room in the next moment, trapping Saber in a sea of demon puppets. When Artoria had freed herself a mere couple of moments later, the alleged Caster had escaped down the hall and out a window. It had no intentions of a direct fight right now.

They also didn't know that the strange servant wasn't the only attacker. Thanks to the bounded field being brought down, one of the three sides attacking the castle that night walked straight at the place unopposed, straight toward the escape passage he had deduced would be where it was. Kirei Kotomine simply strolled straight up the path they were on as they ran through the woods, unnoticed until the group was face to face with him, barely a hundred feet from each other. He said nothing, and simply advanced on them, lunging straight at Kariya.

Who tried to shoot him with his modified gandyr, but it did absolutely nothing. Thankfully Maiya was quick and yanked him back out of the range of Kirei's strike. The woman proceeded to fire her carbine into the man at what was practically point blank range but it was like the spell. No effect. The man kicked her in the chest so hard that she flew backwards, tumbling a good thirty feet.

He was inhumanly strong and tough. Even Iri's far better magic did nothing to him. Maiya observed this as she recovered. She remembered the the priest was a former hunter for the church, meaning he had body armor with anti-magic properties and ungodly physical training. Guns and magic would be useless. She went for her knife. Kevlar was vulnerable to stabbing weapons after all. However it occurred to her that even if the knife would work, she was still physically outclassed. So instead.

She tackled Kariya out of the way again and tossed him aside with her momentum, taking out the bundle she had received from Emiya days before. The relic that Kariya had been carrying. She quickly threw aside the cloth it was in, revealing a sheathed short sword. The things was fairly plain aside from having an oddly short handle and the pommel being a ring resembling the pommel of a kunai but big enough to put a thumb in it without it being tight. Doing so would make you hold the flat of the blde toward your opponent though, so it was strange.

Kirei stopped, "That weapon. You intend to use a priceless relic for combat?"

Kariya started to complain but instead followed Maiya's gestures to back away and give her some space.

She grabbed the handle of the sword, "Secace, the Sword of Burning Victory. It is said that it may only be drawn in mortal conflicts."

Kirei watched in disbelief as the woman drew the sword and mana surged from it in massive quantities, "A noble phantasm?"

"Both of you stay back. I'll handle him." the mana surged in blue flames around Maiya, "Kirei Kotomine, if you get to either of them it will be through me."

Kariya was stunned. That relic was functional? How terrible of a magus was he to not know? He'd just assumed it was a sword used by... Wait... Marrok had mentioned one of his swords in life was wrongly attributed to Lancelot, who had only used it once. That sword was the focus used to try for a knight of the Round Table. Had Zouken been aiming for Lancelot? The old man had even thought so little of him that he risked Kariya noticing the focus was a working Noble Phantasm before taking it back from him. If Marrok hadn't attacked Zouken and Kariya stolen it back on the way out off the grounds... A lot of thoughts ran through Kariya's head in that moment.

"I see." noted Kirei, "The legend of that sword is that it was flaming, but it actually isn't. That is an enchantment on the wielder. I wonder what the abilities are of the sword one man used to slay an army of Saxons nearly alone."

Kirei lunged with impossible speed, beyond anything he'd used up to that point, and Maiya stepped nimbly to the side and kicked him in the stomach so hard that he lifted into the air and flew back, landing on his feet. He clutched his stomach, but recovered in time to block the equally fast charge from Maiya before she could slash him with Secace.

"It clearly boosts your physical abilities." he tried to push her back as she tried to push the sword into him and her traction gave before her arms, "Interesting... you seem to have _exactly_ the same strength and speed as me. What about being equal to his foe let Lancelot kill thousands of men?"

Maiya went to sweep his legs, but Kirei leaped back and away, throwing a trio of black key knives at her, which she deflected narrowly.

He smirked, "I see. You have all the same physical abilities as I do... but your reflexes are slightly lower."

Kirei rushed in with a series of knife slashes and kicks and Maiya parried them all.

"I understand. You aren't used to the difference in physical ability, so if I can end the fight quickly, I will win."

the pair exchanged a series of strikes, Kirei only landing a punch to her stomach and then using a throw to create distance. The rest had been a near stalemate. Maiya hadn't landed anything.

He quickly backed away, "Easier said than done however. I will withdraw for the time being and let you deal with the matter at hand."

"What makes you think I'll let a master in this war leave?"

"Because there's a third attacker fleeing the scene to the west this very moment and I could simply have Assassin kill his hostage rather than just observe."

"Hostage?"

Kirei backed into the shadows, "Give Kayneth my regards if you catch him before he gets away with the girl."

Iri gasped, "Sakura!"

Kirei was promptly scooped up and spirited away by Assassin, leaving Iri sprinting to the west, We've got to stop him!"

Kariya grumbled, "What the hell, Marrok! You were supposed to save her!'

The two of them got about ten feet before noticing there were only two of them and turning back to see Maiya still where she had been, totally quiet.

Iri started back, "Maiya? What is it?"

Maiya had been very frustrated to let the man go, but knew that Sakura was more important. She was just a child and even if Kiritsugu would have gone after Kirei, he would have never forgiven himself for not saving the girl. It was fine. She could go save Sakura and bring the child back to him then take his secretly thankful scolding. She could also kill Irisviel when she wasn't expecting it, Kariya too so there wouldn't be a witness and one less master in Kiritsugu's way. Then she could save Sakura and they could-

"Maiya?"

"Don't come any closer!"

"What's wrong?"

Iri was so nice, a good mother. Something Maiya could never be again thanks to all those soldiers in her hell of a wartorn homeland. Iri deserved to be a mother more than Maiya, she thought so herself. But she was dying anyway so what did it matter if Maiya helped it along, got a new child, and started a family?

"Get away from me... something's wrong. Something's in my head."

"I'll help you!"

No... that's not right. Maiya could tell. She was lying to Iri and herself.

"The sword..."

The sword was only nudging along what was already in there. The wheels turned through all the dark thoughts that had entered her mind before but been brushed easily aside until now. The sword could only be drawn in mortal conflicts. She could feel why in her bones, in her very soul. The enchantment in the sword drove the wielder compulsively to victory in battle. There was no opponent to fight nearby except in a different kind of battle.

Every single thing Irisviel was was something Maiya wanted deep down. A child like the one Maiya had given up, married to Kiritsugu, a tool that had become more than a tool. Part of Maiya _hated_ her. Hated her with a deep, primal jealously that had always just slightly nagged at the periphery of Maiya's mind. Every single bit of kindness made it hurt a little more, but it was fine.

She could just stop being a tool herself. She could just embrace every emotion she wanted to have if she just gave into this one emotion. It was so easy to kill people.

"No, Iri." Maiya spasmed as part of her held herself back.

Why couldn't she hold this back? The sensation wasn't even pulling that hard... did she have so little character of her own? Had she spent so long being a tool that she lacked what seemed like a common amount of willpower against this impulse? Well, easy enough to fix.

Maiya clenched the sword hard, "Kariya, get Iri as far away from me as you can."

Iri wasn't sure what was going on, "What? Why?"

Maiya turned to face them for the first time since the sword began calling her to fight her foe on the battlefield of love. Her face was wide-eyed and her mouth contorted into an unnatural smile. The internet would have called it the classic look of a yandere.

Maiya began to walk towards her, "Because I'll be next to Kiri and Sakura and Illya and if you come near us I'll have to cut out your insides and put them in me so I can have his children! I'll have his kids until I break, Iri!"

"Shit!" Kariya grabbed Irisviel and pulled hard, getting the pale lady out of the way of a very sluggish slash, "That sword is cursed! We have to get away from her!"

Iri distanced herself from Maiya but wouldn't leave her friend, "Maiya you can fight this!"

The woman simply walked forward, "I have to take cooking lessons so I can make them meals and I'll make a savings account to save for their college and Kiri can train them all and I can help and we can make sure they don't turn out like us. I can make them real people, Iri! They're going to Harvard, Iri! GIVE ME YOUR LIFE, IRI! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I'LL SEND A FEW OF OUR KIDS TO YALE TOO I PROMISE! I PROOOOOMISE!"

Kariya dragged Iri as he started to flee, "We can't do anything! We have to find Marrok and get him back in human form or maybe Saber. One of them has to know how to stop that sword!"

Across the estate, Kiritsugu Emiya spotted a red head laughing in the courtyard as it's minions flooded the estate. The mage hunter could see the boy and could see his command seals; but lacked a certain something Kariya had had. He could not see the servant display providing him with information on a servant. So the magus killer did what he did best. He aimed his submachine gun at the seemingly unsuspecting master and opened fire, emptying a full clip into him.

It turned and smiled.

Next Chapter: To Lose a Life

Author's Note: Well hello, sword attributed to Lancelot in legends and occasionally to Artoria in Fate: Grand Order. I just have had this cool idea for an ability for use in a story for ages and it fits Secace (which Lancelot used only once in legend and that was to battle an army) so I threw it in here. Plus a shared sword makes a fine catalyst for a summoning that could produce either so I think it works well here. Enjoy your many-tiered cliffhanger of Kiri, Kariya, and Iri in mortal peril, Sakura kidnapped, and Marrok MIA. Next update will be within three days unless something happens.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: To Lose a Life

It was good that he'd noticed the first half of the clip not working and recited the incantation for his magic to alter his personal time, because Kiritsugu Emiya was face to face with a knife and a boy that was not only very fast, but totally fine after taking an entire clip of bullets to the torso without so much as a sign of magical reinforcement. The magus killer dodged the slash of a butcher knife just barely as it was about to hit him, the wind of it letting the man know that he would have been dead instantly if that had hit him.

"What the hell? How is a master that fast and strong?" was the natural thought that went through his head.

He quickly rolled away and pulled out his other gun, a single shot pistol with very high stopping power that he used to fire his specialty: origin rounds made from his ribs. If the kid was using some form of magic, the shot would penetrate and incapacitate him instantly. The boy thought nothing of it, and took one straight to the chest. It immediately regretted it. His skin came apart in several places and then immediately retracted as if trying to tie him in knots.

Kiri was stunned. What the hell kind of reaction to them was that? Normally a magus hit with them simply had his magic circuits knotted up and made useless, a process that pretty much always floored them. Instead, this guy's skin was trying to rearrange itself. It was disgusting. Worse still when the 'boy' simply tore it off like a shirt and threw it aside. The only parts left were the appendages of what was apparently a skin suit for some... thing.

Something that looked like a patchwork of a man, a woman, and something like a bug. Its head was mostly human, but with the face missing. And it was notably taller than the boy had been.

"Skinwalker? Those are supposed to look like insects... what the hell am I looking at?"

In sneered at him, "Take your skin... smells like both the pretty ladies."

Kiritsugu took the chance to reload his guns, since the thing was talking, "You're a servant I assume. Can't say I recognize the legend."

The thing lunged at him again, some blade-like thing coming out from its forearm. Kiri dodged thanks to a small burst of reinforcement magic, and went back into time alteration, holding up the hand that bore his command seals, "Saber if you are free, teleport straight to me right now and kill this thing."

Saber immediately appeared directly between the two of them and quickly ascertained the situation. Quickly enough to block the new attack that was bound for Kiritsugu and drive it back with a blast of wind mana.

"Master, we were attacked by a servant, seemingly this one. The others escaped down the escape route while I held it off. Forgive me for letting it slip away. It called forth quite the army to evade me."

"No harm done I hope. Just focus on putting down this abomination."

Saber sneered at the creature, "I recognize the insignia on that piece of armor. It belonged to Donovan, a knight whose name I only know because he's the one that took Marrok's lands and wife for his own with treachery. He stole the skin Marrok used to turn human."

The creature made strange clicking noises at Arthur before talking to her, "I'm a victim too, I'm a victim too, and I'm a victim too. You should thank me I killed a man wasting his land, thwarted a beast posing as a man, and guided men to more productive lives. I made your kingdom better Arthur."

"What? You aren't making any sense! What's become of you? Since when did a minor knight know demon magic? Why are you in that state?"

"I'm better than you... you who gave up being a woman to become king. I didn't take the easy way. I stayed a woman... and you let him take my face. You let him take my only weapon."

Saber glanced at the parts of dress and the single breast on the torso, "You're not one person outside or in... what in god's name did the grail summon?"

The creature rushed at Saber, who parried again, "Avenger class servant... haha ha, Bisclavret!"

Saber shoved Avenger back with a burst of strength then planted a boot in its stomach with enough force to knock it into a tree and that tree over. Saber surged immediately forward, sliced the falling tree in half as she came at the creature with a downward slash. Avenger deflected it with its arm blade and punched her with enough strength to send her rolling backward. Then it dodged another round from Kiritsugu that had been aimed at the part of the boy's arm that was still attached. The part with the command seals.

"Clever boy." Avenger rushed Kiritsugu, and was immediately smashed into the ground by Saber.

Kiritsugu shouted out advice as he created some distance, "Go for the command seals! It made a point of keeping them on itself. It probably can't survive without them on."

"Right. Go find the others before you get trapped here by its familiars!"

"Good idea. Keep it busy this time and I'll get out of its view."

Kiri left Saber to it and circled the mansion towards the path the escape route would take them. He wasn't expecting to spot them running around the mansion to his side until a minute or two later when he spotted Iri and Kariya a bit frther north through the trees

"Iri! Kariya! What are you doing? There's a servant that way! Where's-"

"Kiritsugu... Kiritsugu... Kiritsugu."

The man turned to see Maiya walked towards him, with an odd expression. Like someone trying to seduce a person while not really understand the idea and also while completely insane. She was holding the relic sword he'd given her.

"Maiya, why do you have that sword out?"

"I drove off Kirei Kotomine for you! Please, can I have a present? I want a reward, Kiriwiri!"

"Kiriwiri?"

Iri called out from a distance, being held back by Kariya, "Kiri, run! The sword is cursed! She's not in her right mind!"

Maiya yelled loudly at her, illogically so. Rather than as loudly has you'd expect, Maiya yelled at the very top of her lungs. So hard that her voice cracked, "STOP GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY FAMILY! HE WAS ABOUT TO PUT A BABY IN ME!"

Kiritsugu didn't retreat, or panic, "Maiya. Put down the sword, that's an order."

"But I'm going to carve out a future for us with this."

"Don't make me take it from you. I don't want to hurt you, Maiya."

The crazed woman blushed, "You don't want to hurt me?"

"No."

"You care about me?"

"You know I do."

"YOU LOVE ME, KIRI! I KNEW IT! NOW PUT A BABY IN ME!"

"Maiya, calm down."

The woman started cutting her clothes off with the sword, "It can be angry, self-punishing sex like always! I can put you back together after you kill yourself inside! Or if you want to die I can take you apart! Just... make love to me!"

"Maiya, stop it! This isn't you!"

Maiya looked hurt and betrayed, "This is me, Kiri... this was all in me... like I want you in me." she seemed to reel herself n a little, "This has to be me... this... kind of woman... otherwise why would those soldiers have... why would you..."

"Maiya... I...,"

"You'll never love me..." Maiya spasmed as if fighting herself, "I'll kill you... no me... kill me... I can't stop it help me!" she lurched forward, "IF YOU WON'T AND YOU WANT TO DIE... THEN I'LL KILL YOU AND THEN-"

Kiritsugu started losing his cool, he fought back tears at the sight of what he'd put in her hands and apparently in her head. He'd saved her from that hell, only to put her in a worse one, "Maiya, put it down or I'll take it by force!"

"I can't... you can't... look at me! LOOK AT ME AND LOVE ME!"

Maiya suddenly rushed him, but was hit suddenly from the side. For a split second Kiri thought it was a bus. However, that bus was very hairy and started shrinking to the size of a large man.

"Marrok!"

Kariya shouted from a distance, "What happened with Sakura? She's been kidnapped! I told you to go get her!"

The big wolf barked angrily back at his master then yelped at the feedback from his origin, which seemed to rile the beast up more. Kiri, very close to it, noticed it was surrounded by some sort of light blue mana. Much like when Marrok had tried to use some sort of ability at the shipyards against archer.

He was about to warn him not to kill her, but Maiya was on the attack, wreathed in fire, the second the wolf had flinched. She punched him hard enough to slam his head into the ground and grabbed the thick fur around his neck, somehow picked the man-sized wolf up like a feather in one hand, and clubbed him into a tree, breaking it. She then caught the falling tree and slammed it into the wolf like a bat, propelling him into a large rock. Maiya went to club him with the tree again, but he caught it in his mouth and swung it himself, slamming her into a different tree. When he lunged to bite her throat, she grabbed him and ran straight back into the rock, slamming him repeatedly into it before driving Secace into his shoulder and leaving it there.

Kiritsugu was briefly relieved seeing her let go of the blade, but she threw the wolf aside with her strange strength and walked towards Kiri with the same look in her eyes, "I put the sword down, Kiri... now make me your bitch... please... I'm nothing without you..."

"No... you're still under it's effect?"he started to raise his gun, knowing he couldn't leave her in that state. If he couldn't cure her and she was as strong as a servant, Maiya could kill them all.

"Yes... please... help me."

Before Kiri could pull the trigger, Marrok slammed into her again and bit her throat savagely, tearing into it.

"NO! NO! It should be me! I did this to her! LET ME!"

The wolf whipped around, snarling, barely in control of himself. He positioned himself between Kiri and the now slowly dying Maiya that was struggling to ask for mercy.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU MONSTER!"

Slowly, Marrok's body started cracking and contorting, warping rather than transforming into a more and more humanoid shape, as if something were yanking him back into human form by force rather than him doing it himself, while something else was pulling him back the other way. When he was human again, clothes and all, he hit the ground in pain, struggling with maintaining his form. Secace lay at his side rather than in his arm.

He forced out words as he dragged himself to Maiya and started healing her, "Second Noble Phantasm... risking it... lycanthropy."

Kariya and Iri arrived, having started down the second Maiya went down for the count, it was Kariya that protested, "What good will making her a werewolf do?"

Marrok started gaining some more control over his form, looking less pained. He was still panting though, "Curse from a wolf immune to curses."

Iri started trying to get a look at Maiya, who was mostly healed, but wasn't thrashing about anymore, "So you think your origin might carry over some?"

Marrok looked at Kiri as he answered, "Worth a shot... That sword's curse can't be lifted as far as I know. It's this... or kill her."

"Why the hell do the Knights of the Round Table have a sword like that?"

Marrok winced again, "I'm immune to curses. Lancelot is practically immune. Most of us aren't vulnerable to it even without curse resistances if we're careful. It's not evil, it just makes you competitive about something. That's why it can only be out in a mortal fight. It will put ideas in your head. If you have it out too casually and aren't strong emotionally, it will erode you away just by nudging your dark thoughts a tiny bit over time."

Kariya gawked, "That was all her?"

"Not really. I'm not sure why it worked so fast, but basically everyone has little dark thoughts sometimes. It's like if you notice you could steal something nice and get away with it. Lots of people just swat that aside with barely a thought. Imagine though if something started pushing every other part of yourself out."

"I'm so sorry." Maiya suddenly spoke up, tears in her eyes, "I didn't mean it...I don't... that's not really me."

Kariya was gawking again, "Did it work?"

Iri went over and grabbed the woman's hand, "I know. Maiya. I understand you must have had a thought of stuff going on in your head. You've suffered so much in your life and have probably done many violent things, but you're a good person. Whatever your life tried to make you into, you became a good person instead."

Maiya then started doing something she'd never allowed herself to do. She cried.

Marrok forced himself to his feet, sheathing Secace, "I didn't know this was that relic or I would have warned you, Kiritsugu. I apologize."

Kiritsugu bit his lip.

Kariya went right up to his servant, "Anyway, what about Sakura. I told you to save her!"

"She was gone by the time I managed to get there. Then I felt the activation of Secace and was compelled this way."

"What?"

"Your command was to use all of my abilities to save her, and suddenly one of them that I didn't have until now manifested over here."

"Isn't that way to literal an interpretation?"

"My origin boosts command seals. Apparently that's also a drawback."

Kiri suddenly remembered, "Forget that. Saber's fighting Avenger and none of those things have come after us. That means they are all on her."

Marrok started walking towards the way Kiritsugu was pointing.

Kariya wasn't having it, "She can handle it! Sakura's getting kidnapped as we speak! Who's servant are you?"

Marrok turned, "Kayneth took her. He has no reason to hurt her. He still has his own magic so he's not one of the husks. That means..."

Kiritsugu chimed in, "He wants to trade her for a replacement servant. I was wondering why he never went to the church for shelter after losing Lancer."

"He still has command seals after all. Only reason he could have to grab her is for ransom her to you for me. She will be fine. I can track her."

"I used a command seal to command you to save her!"

"I'm doing that. Trust me."

"Trust you?" Kariya snapped back, "You've always done things your way! You've never trusted _me_. You're going the complete opposite direction just to save someone whose leg you want to hump!"

Kariya immediately realized he'd said several things he shouldn't have, but was too angry to apologize. He did however, have the reason and respect left to not use a second command seal.

Marrok had the wounded look on his face that you'd expect, but simply turned and walked away. Kariya went off in the direction Sakura had supposedly been taken.

Back across the manor grounds, Saber beat back another lunge from Avenger and threw off the four skin familiars that had been tangling her up for the attack. She used some mana to close the newst wound she'd taken. It was a rough fight tanks to how unpredictable the creature was and the fact it did have a knights training. The fact of the matter though was...

"Face it, you Avenger of Just Rewards, even a conflagration of the villains of Marrok's legend is not enough to make you measure up to the King of Knights."

"Perhaps... though maybe I just need more friends." more of the skin creatures showed up. There was probably around seventy of them left, "These probably aren't enough though. I'll go make more!"

"You're not slipping away again!"

"I'll turn this entire city into my subjects, a newer, better Camelot with one will! My will! All the victims of this world will be granted peace!"

"Don't spit on the dream of Camelot!" two voices said in coincidental unison as Marrok came down at Avenger's flank with a slash. The creature wheeled away so that it was equally far from both servants.

Artoria was surprised and delighted, "Marrok! You are back in human form!"

"For now. Something's trying to pull me back into wolf form but the command seal is holding me in this one. That aside," he put away Cavall and drew Secace, "I have this back now, so you handle this abomination and I'll handle its minions."

Saber recognized that sword and smiled, "Haha! This will be a glorious battle! Avenger, for the sake of drama how many minions do you have here? Tell us!"

"Seventy three, he can't beat all of them together! That's no holy sword!"

Marrok raised Secace, tip pointed to the ground, "Pity to use this on rabble, but witness Secace, the Sword of Burning Victory. My anti-army Noble Phantasm! This will be a fair fight. One versus seventy-three!"

Mana surged around Marrok into blue flames, and one of the familiars leaped at him, only to be met with a punch to the stomach. On impact the thing was just... gone. The concussive force of the strike being enough to completely obliterate the thing and carve a line through the crowd that were sent flying into the air. Marrok jumped up and grabbed one of those, hurling it into the crowd surging at him. The move left nothing of the thing but a crater of several dozen crushed but still moving others of its kind. It was an act of pure raw power on the scale of a small army of lesser demons combined. Around seventy lesser demons actually.

"The hell?" Avenger gawked.

And was promptly reminded of the pairings when Saber rushed forward and nearly took its head off, "I won't stop you from joining that melee, but Marrok was trying to be courteous."

"What nonsense is that?"

Artoria smirked, "A fair one versus seventy three fight."

The two battered blades thrice more before Avenger tried to command some of the minion not directly tussling with Marrok to rush at her and hold her in place again. They turned and started that way.

Artoria glared at Avenger, "I was trying to be polite too, but if you want to mix the fights so badly: Marrok! Southeast northwest!"

Marrok bowled through the enemy lines and grabbed his king, throwing her over the crowd to the southeast of Avenger so that the army was between them. The King of Knight lifted her sword and focused as she flew, drawing large amounts of mana, then as she came down...

"Ex..."

Avenger raised the remains of his master's hand (his command seals) and muttered something.

"CALIBUR!"

A massive beam of light enveloped the small army as it traveled to the northwest towards Avenger, who only Marrok's angle allowed him to see a discharge of a command seal and the servant vanish. A pillar of light erupted into the sky where it had been standing, and could likely be seen for miles. Any familiars that managed to live through that Saber simply cut down as they tried to flee.

Arthur raised her sword in victory, "The day is won! A fine battle!"

Marrok sheathed Secace, "Avenger slipped away with a command seal, but I doubt it will attack again tonight. It will wait until its made another army."

"Curse that collection of no good villains! We should track it before it gets the chance."

"Before that I need to help-" Marrok fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Marrok?"

The man was yanked back into his wolf form, as he tried to resist his origin and the command seal both punished him. When he warped ungracefully back into his bestial form he collapsed briefly before forcing himself to stand. He etched into the dirt with a paw. "Sakura."

With that he barked a request for aid and started for the woods.

Back with the others, Maiya had finally calmed down, "I'm so sorry. I've had those thoughts pop in my head before, but I would never... they were nothing. The furthest thing from what I would ever do."

Kiritsugu briefly pondered sending her away. She could be a danger to his family and him. Especially if lycanthropy did some of thing things it did in legend. It was too risky and gamble to count on Marrok's origin altering some curse the grail had given him. Plus, if she was part of Marrok's pack now because of it, would she be forced to follow an eventual enemy's orders?"

Instead, he knelt beside her and held the same hand Iri was holding, "It's fine. I'm the one that should be sorry. I used you like that to punish myself even though you'd been through that kind of thing in your youth. I thought you weren't bothered by it anymore."

"I'm not." Maiya's voice wavered, "It was just a little thing chipping at the back of my mind. It just got dragged out."

Iri looked at her husband, not even bringing up the affair. After all, she'd known about it, "Is she going to be okay now, Kiri?"

"Not likely. She's a werewolf. Marrok just broke one of the rules of the war. He spread a global apocalypse level viral threat to a person in the present. If they find out, Marrok, Kariya, and her are all going to have a bounty on them. Plus we don't know if this will make her evil or force her to change regularly. If the rules follow the most common part of the legend," Kiri looked at the half moon, "Her life as she knows it is over in only a day or two."

"Could Avalon cure her?"

"Of lycanthropy maybe, but Marrok said the other curse can't be lifted through any means he knows. He knows of Avalon. Can we risk lifting a curse keeping the other one in check?"

Maiya looked at him, "Then what? I just run off into the wilderness?"

Kiri bit his lip, "We just have to win the war before the curse turns you all the way into a werewolf. Best case scenario when Marrok returns to his era his sword and all his curses just go away."

Iri was worried about some implications, "And if we can't win by then?"

"We kill Marrok and get the same result."

Next Chapter: The Princess in Another Castle

Author Note: Wow, I'm glad I split the mansion attack into two chapters. Combined these would have been about fourteen pages. Anyway, more action next chapter as the Sakura rescue operation gets underway. Will Marrok and Kariya make up? Will Kiri jump the gun and go after Marrok for Maiya's sake? Will she turn before they can stop it? Given that Kirei knows Sakura is in danger too, what will happen if a certain someone shows also shows up to save her? Where are the romance elements implied by the genre?

Oh, my loyal readers, the story has only just now started to really get going! The things I have planned! Not even counting the planned sequel, lots of stuff is ahead. Especially with an apparent timer on when the war needs to end. I AM FREAKIN' HYPED! Can barely wait for the full moon scene... hehehe! Please review so I can curb my hype by hearing what your levels of hype are. See you next time!


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: The Princess in Another Castle

Kariya almost whirled around in time to see Marrok coming, but instead by the time he'd heard something stampeding up behind him he had already been scooped up by the horse-sized wolf much like Sakura had been many times over the past few days. Of course he yelled out in surprise, but quickly calmed himself as the wolf didn't even break stride.

"Right, fast as a horse. Do you have control of you forms back?"

The wolf shook his head.

"Crap." Kariya realized he was holding onto a t-shirt, "Well at least his grows with you for some reason?"

"Arf." It seemed like Marrok was still upset.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was angry about Sakura getting kidnapped. I shouldn't have said that."

Marrok let out a little grumble that conveyed a sort of "I'm sorry too" tone.

"Maybe I was a little jealous of Saber too. I mean, you're my servant and you pretty much run the show, then suddenly you're her lap dog and bonding with her friends. Anyway, why am I trying to talk about this now? You can't talk back and Sakura's in trouble."

"Arf!"

About an hour later, Kayneth was pacing back and forth in the living room of the condo he was renting in Fuyuki City. His hair disheveled, his face frantic. He barely even heard the nagging of his beautiful red-headed fiance Sola-Ui.

"What's become of you Kayneth, skulking about and losing Diarmuid like that? Then I don't see you for days and you come back with a hostage!" she pointed at Sakura, who was bound and gagged in the corner.

"I'm getting back in the war, Sola. This is the only way. I need a servant!"

"But kidnapping children?"

"It makes total sense. They won't risk trying to attack a magus of my level. I could have any number of traps that would kill the girl. They especially can't take chances since they were probably heavily worn down in that huge attack. I know what I'm doing! She assured me that she would help me acquire one of their servants."

"Who?"

"She called herself Viviane, she was an insanely powerful magus like I've never seen. I would have thought she was Caster if all the servants weren't accounted for."

"How do you know she isn't a master leading you to your doom?"

"All the masters are accounted for too. The last one lead the charge into their territory after Viviane disabled the barrier. Then Viviane just whisked me inside."

"Teleportation? That's..."

Kayneth walked over and grabbed his fiance's shoulders, "Actual magic, Sola, on the level of miracles. And it's on our side!"

"Kayneth, do you even understand who this child is? I did some research. She's from the Tohsaka family but they pawned her off on the Matous."

"There's only two living Matous."

"And Tokiomi might take offense to two people kidnapping his daughter! You might have just called half the war onto our heads!"

"That's the beauty of it, Sola! All I have to do is kill the masters and the servants will grab onto the nearest chance they have to win the war! The entire floor above and below this one is a labyrinth of traps and loops that nothing can escape!"

"Um... Kayneth..." She pointed at the window behind him.

"What?"

He turned around to see a giant wolf nearly the size of the room flying at the window with a very displeased expression on its face.

"Oh..."

The reinforced glass was nothing to a servant, so the wolf came crashing through spraying glass across the room, Sakura having rolled herself behind a chair. Kayneth too had time to shield Sola and himself using a mercury-like substance that was one of his more powerful mystic codes. Out of the sphere shot two tendrils of mercury that drove into the wolf, gouging deep into its flesh. However, a man that had been clutching firmly to the beast and partly concealed in the thick fur around the neck, appeared and blasted them back with an impact spell.

The wolf barked something that sounded a lot like, "Go!"

So the man, Kariya Matou, bolted over towards the tied up Sakura, Kayneth shot more tendrils from the safety of his sphere at the man, but Marrok intercepted, taking two more hits from the mystic code. With a brief flicker of blue mana around him though, all his wounds stopped bleeding and closed. With the strange effect active, the wolf blocked two more shots directed at them.

Kariya was pleased, "Quicksilver doesn't count I guess.

Sakura was quickly untied and ungagged, "Uncle Marrok, Uncle Kariya!"

Marrok barked.

"Yeah I'm fine. He put some traps on me, but I just used that spell you taught me!"

Kariya was confused, "Spell?"

Sakura smiled, proud of herself, "Yeah, the one that I healed you with. Marrok taught me how to tweak it to get rid of stuff like this too! Cool right?"

"Very cool."

Marrok would later elaborate that the spell could be tweaked to realign the magical energy in your body, purging many things that had manipulated, polluted, or intruded on it. It was pretty limited, but useful against booby traps and some simple curses. Not lycanthropy though, which of course wold come up later in talks about the fate of the infected.

Seeing he couldn't fight the servant here, Kayneth cut a hole in the floor and escaped to the floor below. Growling and barking due to the effects of his madness enhancement and being legitimately angry, the angered Marrok dashed to the hole, but Kariya called out, "Marrok, no! Getting Sakura to safety takes prior-"

Sakura suddenly pulled Kariya over behind the couch having seen a golden man descend down to the level of the window on some sort of aircraft with wings and a throne, assess the room, and conjure strange portals with swords in them at adult height. She reacted just in time to save Kariya and cried out a warning to Marrok, but the beast was hit by at least a half dozen swords and into the hole.

Tokiomi stepped from behind the throne and off the wing of the craft into the room, "Sakura, come here. I've come to save you."

Sakura didn't poke her head out but replied, "Daddy?"

"Yes, Sakura it's me. I'm sorry the Matou house didn't work out for you, but I'm here now to take you back from this filth."

Kariya had a snarl in his voice, "You send her off to that hell hole and now you want to play the hero? Where were you when they were torturing her in their basement?"

Sakura started towards her father. When Kariya tried to go out from behind cover to stop her, Archer fired a sword at him that he barely dodged.

"You didn't know about the bugs, did you, Daddy?"

Tokiomi sighed as he walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Sakura, all magical inheritance is a horrible ordeal. A magic crest burns all the nerves in the body when you use it. Mages must make sacrifices in the pursuit of knowledge."

Kariya yelled back, "They were feeding her nerves and body to fucking crest worms! You sent your daughter to be eaten alive!"

"I sent my daughter to inherit the magical line of a once great house and take it for her own, lifting it to newer, greater, less morbid heights. I have faith in my daughter's strength." Tokiomi stood and started pulling her towards the aircraft.

Sakura resisted, a betrayed look on her face, "You knew about the worms?"

Tokiomi did not understand the significance of Archer looking away from him, refusing to even have the man in the corner of his eye. As cruel he could be, even he regarded forcing something like that on a small girl as subhuman. From then on, the dirt on the ground was more worthy than his 'master'. He did not know it, but Tokiomi had long signed his death warrant, and had just dotted the last I. As Tokiomi turned from the ledge to reply to his daughter, he also didn't notice his servant move his ship slightly to the side.

"Sakura, you're special. A miraculously gifted girl like your sister. However, there can be only one heir to a house. If I had left you in our house you would never have lived up to your potential and some people would have exploited your gifts for-"

There was a scuffling from the direction of the hole, a large, groaning wolf glowing light blue climbed from the pit, contorting partway into human form, as if the form of the man Marrok was ripping itself out of the beast form in rage, "You... you could have just trained her."

"And hold back both my children?"

Mana surged around and into Marrok, Kariya fell to the ground from the sheer weight of how much was suddenly being drawn from him. He recalled, Marrok had warned him that it might be very dangerous if his origin ever required fury from him... that in that case he might go headlong with abandon into the Madness Enhancement and his origin might even strengthen it beyond reason. What would become of the Berserker if his very origin required rage? If he became the literal embodiment of righteous fury?

"YOU SENT HER TO THAT PLACE BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T BE ASSED TO BE A FUNCTIONAL HUMAN BEING? HOW SHIT OF A MAGUS ARE YOU THAT YOU CAN'T COMPETENTLY TEACH TWO PEOPLE?!" the entire floor nearly buckled as a hand-like forepaw stepped forward and clawed at it, "DON'T TOUCH HER! DON'T LOOK AT US! YOU DON'T DESERVE EITHER! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO EXIST! BURN TO NOTHING FROM THE SHEER INTENSITY OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE!"

Kariya managed to get used to the pull and sat up, "You sent her to die Tokiomi! Zouken's magic isn't the crest worms or the binding spells or any of that! He was going to steal her body!"

Tokiomi froze. That much he hadn't known, "He promised she would be heir!"

"EVEN IF HE HADN'T BEEN LYING TO YOU, YOU SENT YOUR DAUGHTER TO BE TORTURED BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T BE ASSED TO TEACH HER OR FIND A TRUSTED TEACHER! TOKIOMI!" at that last word all the windows from the five adjacent floors blew out from the howl of rage and mana.

Kariya stumbled. God, it was like a black hole had stabbed him in the chest. If Tokiomi made Marrok _totally_ flip in this situation... Kariya might actually pass out or die. The wolf advanced, barely maintaining his reason. His fury seemed so intense that any more would start ripping the room apart by itself. The swords in him ere pushed out by the intensified healing of the werewolf legend being called upon with abandon.

"Archer, remember my command seal!"

Archer pelted the Berserker with a new set of blades, driving at least five halfway into he back and dropping him.

"Marrok!" Sakura cried out in fear for her friend and savior.

Tokiomi pulled at his daughter's arm, "Sakura, I'm sorry. I'll do a better job next time. We'll find you a lesser mage family that isn't made of lunatics to lead."

"I DON'T WANT TO!" Sakura yelled back and wrestled her arm free. She was fed up.

"Come on now. Listen to your father. You don't understand what the mage world is like."

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" She yelled, shoving him with all her strength, "YOU BITCH!"

Tokiomi stumbled from the shove just barely a half step. That was all it took. The next few moments as Tokiomi fell backwards out of the window seemed almost to go in slow motion. Tokiomi realized that he was about to die and his daughter had killed him. Sakura realized that she had just killed her father. The rage suddenly dropped out of Marrok like a bucket with no bottom as he saw the pain Sakura was about to suffer, the kind of trauma you could never get rid of even if he deserved to die. He knew that pain. He'd killed his own father for the good of his people. His very nature demanded he ran for the ledge, using the curse of lycanthropy to heal as much as he could and empower him to close the distance even if Archer shot him more. It demanded he lessen that pain for her.

Marrok caught Tokiomi's shirt in his teeth but could not kill his speed or keep his balance, so he fell. Even then, his nature required he turn so that he would take the bulk of the fall for the man he hate so gravely. Even if it killed him, Tokiomi would surely at least barely live. Marrok preferred that to Sakura becoming a killer. Him sacrificing himself instead of her killing her father would certainly hurt less?

Sakura saw this, and somehow her child mind understood the intention. She also understood something else as she called out at the top of her lungs, her eyes filled with tears, "DADDY!"

Not quite understanding, Marrok's heart hurt a little at the thought she had not called out for him. Moments later, Marrok hit the ground, the blades in him being driven nearly clean through him. Tokiomi was sent rolling away, his shoulder broken. Otherwise he was fine even after falling from a skyscraper. A fall that only a servant could have lived through after taking. Tokiomi was too angry to be grateful though.

"You ingrate! You dare take my daughter from me!" he fired a gandyr bullet into the side of the servant to no effect. So instead he blasted the wolf with fire, which worked far better, "You presume to know what's best for her!"

He blasted the servant again, more intensely.

"You don't know the first thing about her gift! She has a rare element! In the right hands both her and her sister could be the strongest mages this world has seen in decades!"

He blasted Marrok again. Even though he was blasting a servant and Marrok's lycanthropy was cutting the damage drastically through regeneration, that servant had just fallen nearly two dozen stories and been impaled by seven noble phantasms. None of their names had been invoked, but still. Marrok was so injured, all the magus would need to do to kill him was keep his healing ability busy a few more minutes.

Up in the condo above, Archer had watched the events playing out. He understood them. He knew Marrok's intentions and respected them. That fact enraged him. For a literal mongrel to thwart his clever circumvention of the degrading command seals and avert the killing of his repulsive master... while making him respect his intentions? How dare that trash play the hero. How dare he make him a villain! Him, the King of Heroes!

He turned to Kariya, who had scrambled towards Marrok right before the fall, and was out in the open, "Interesting. The hound leaves his master in enemy hands to save that enemy."

Archer smirked and walked straight over to Sakura, picking her up by her collar.

"Let her go, Archer!"

"I do not take orders from you, or anyone." he smirked, ignoring Sakura's protests and calling him a bitch as well, instead strolling back to his ship with her, "But I must say, such an honorable action from a servant surprised me. It makes me intrigued at what his master must be made of. You must be a far more worthy master than my own."

And with that, he simply descended on his ship to the scene below.

"Master," he said, using the term for the first time and lowering the girl to the ground, "I have brought your daughter as your command seal bid me."

Tokiomi whirled around, "Why didn't you catch me?"

Archer smirked, "You didn't ask."

In his rage, Tokiomi did the dumbest thing he had ever done. Which is saying something. He struck Archer across the face. The servant let Sakura go in shock. The girl of course ran right to Marrok's side.

"Daddy, no!" Sakura pleaded, not caring that she was quickly covered in blood, "Don't die! You can't die! Please! DADDY!"

Marrok, corrected, was taken aback... and he was worried as he was happy about the sentiment.

Tokiomi turned slowly, eyes wide, "Daddy? Sakura, _I'm_ your father! That _thing_ is just a weapon of war summoned to sacrifice for magical power!"

"Shut up!"

Tokiomi turned to Archer, who had still not moved after being slapped, just from the sheer shock that he had dared strike him, "Archer, kill that servant and bring me my daughter!"

Archer glared, "No."

"Archer, you will listen to me! I am your master!"

"No."

Tokiomi raised his command seals, there only being one left. He'd used the first to call Archer from the shipyard and the second had been needed to get his help saving Sakura. Archer had never forgiven him for the first and never given him an inch.

"Archer, by the power of my command seal I order you to bring me my daughter this instant!"

Archer walked over, lifted the girl up (her sleeve ripping off as Marrok barely managed the strength to try and fight it a little), and then walked her over to Tokiomi, deliberately setting her down as far from him as would qualify as bringing her. Tokiomi couldn't grab her in time and she ran right back to Marrok.

"ARCHER!"

Archer simply walked away.

"ARCHER!"

He was gone.

Tokiomi looked at his now empty hand, not a single seal remained. Desperate, he looked to his daughter, "You're really choosing him over me? He's some meaningless werewolf servant! He's a plague not a father!"

"He's more of a father than you! He saved me, helped teach me magecraft! You just want to throw me away again!"

"Sakura, you don't understand! I'm trying to do what's best for you! You can use Imaginary Numbers! You won't be safe outside of a family of magus. Listen to your father!"

"You're not my father!"

"My blood flows through your veins! I-"

Sakura immediately licked up as much of Marrok's blood as she could and swallowed, "NOW HIS DOES TOO!"

Tokiomi was stunned, "Sakura... do you even know what you've just done? He's a werewolf... you've just cursed yourself."

"It's not your problem!"

"You've doomed him! It's against the rules to infect people with such a thing. You and everyone around you will be hunted down like the monsters you've made yourself into!"

"LEAVE US ALONE!"

Tokiomi stumbled back, a broken look on his face. He briefly thought to try and slay the beast and save his daughter, but if that didn't cure her? He had to think logically... he had to protect his family. The magus pulled a knife he'd intended to give Kirei out of his pocket and walked slowly forward, shaking... nothing left of true reason left of him. In his mind, the right course of action was to make sure the Mage's Association never found out that there was a werewolf in his family. If he cleaned up the mess, they wouldn't come after his family too.

Tokiomi reached down.

"I won't let you hurt him"

And grabbed her by the hair, confusing her.

He moved the knife closer, "I have to protect my family. You've brought the Mage's Association down on us, Sakura."

"What? Why... stop you're-" she stopped mid sentence and screamed, blood flying everywhere.

Tokiomi dropped her... as his skin hung there from an outstretched hand bearing command seals. A hand attached to a familiar person that shouldn't be surrounded by the aura of a command seal in effect as he was. It also shouldn't have a blade his other arm. Regardless of reason and logic though, Kayneth was standing there, a crazed look in his eyes.

He raised his hand that somehow still bore all its command seals even though he seemed to be under the effect of one. The magus then invoked his first command seal, "Take everything from Arthur Pendragon, her life last."

The glass shattered out from every floor as flesh familiars poured from every room.

Avenger grinned with the face of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, burning his second command seal, "BURN THIS NEW CAMELOT TO THE GROUND WITH ARTHUR INSIDE!"

Next Chapter: Among the Ruins

Author's Note: You have no idea how tempting it was to end the chapter on the part where Marrok falls and Sakura calls him her father as he plummets. Also werewolf Sakura?! What's with Marrok getting members for a pack in back to back chapters? The hype train rolls along as we reach the climax of Avenger's arc and we move towards endgame. There's no predicting the exact count for how many chapters are left, but it probably won't hit twenty. We are just a few chapters away from the final act of the Holy Grail War folks. Next Chapter we'll back track to show how Avenger stole Kayneth's body and where Saber and the others are.


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Quick clarification from my note last chapter. When I said the fic probably won't hit 20 I was not including the intermission chapter and that count isn't guaranteed. Just a probably thing. Plus just because this Grail War is ending soonish, it doesn't mean the story is done. There's actually going to be a follow-up fic set in the Fifth Grail War and maybe some in-between content. Even after _that one_ ends I'm planning a Grand Order follow-up to that one and am considering a slightly more tongue-in-cheek spin-off where someone from this timeline gets pulled into the main timeline's fifth war. The Fourth Grail War is ending in around 20 total chapters, _the story_ will barely be halfway done. Not even halfway if I wasn't considering the Grand Order sequel as sort of a spin-off of the main story of this. Trust me. If you like this fic's timeline and characters you will have _plenty_ more of it.

Chapter Eleven: Among the Ruins

Sakura screamed in terror as the skin of the father she had rejected was tossed aside. Thankfully, her brain didn't process the sight of the rest of him as it was cast away as well and her eyes could not see the details of the hundreds of skin familiars rushing down the walls of the building they had once called home.

Days before, as Kayneth had been reeling from his loss, he'd struck a deal with the devil. Viviane had sworn he would get a servant if he simply allowed them to function within the building he had fortified. He had no idea what he was agreeing to, the things that had been done to the families in there over that time. And when the plan had him fleeing from Berserker and running through the parking lot in the basement, he still didn't know what he'd dealt with when he met Viviane there once again, with a monstrous chimeric servant beside her.

"What is that thing?" Sola had asked, revulsion evident.

Viviane, cloaked in shadows and her face behind a veil, smiled, "An Avenger class servant, the strongest servant in the war. His master died at the hands of Saber."

Kayneth scoffed, "What use have I for a servant that can't protect his master?"

"His master's death was the plan. He wasn't even a mage, so he summoned an incomplete servant. With a true magus, Avenger can become whole and dominate the war. You are a true magus, and in need of a servant. Enemies knock at your gates do they not?"

"Kayneth, I don't like this."

"Quiet, Sola. If it's as strong as you claim I'll contract with it. Servants can't harm their masters when the seal is in effect, so its fine."

Viviane grinned, though it could not be seen, "Actually I was not asking for your permission."

"What?"

Avenger raised its two remaining command seals, burning both, "Destroy everything of Artoria Pendragon. Destroy Artoria Pendragon!"

"Why does it have command seals?"

In the present, Avenger in the body of Kayneth, reinforced with four entire command seals, reached down for the screaming Sakura. The screams flowed into the ears of Marrok, as the swords from Archer's Noble Phantasm were finally called back to the servant. Those screams filled him with anger and duty and despite all of the blood pouring from his wounds he stood, calling upon his lycanthropy to heal what wounds they could. Forcing himself into a hybrid form of wolf and man, he pulled Sakura out of Avenger's reach and swung a beastly claw at his foe as he howled in pain from fighting at the many things pulling his origin many directions.

Avenger's head did not move a centimeter. The claws found no purchase.

Thinking fast, Marrok pushed further, struggling to get into human form. In beast form he had only brute power. No noble phantasms to attack with. However, thanks to the relic the Matou family had used to summon him, the sheer brute force Avenger had called upon would be easy to counter if he could get into human form to draw it. And draw it he did. The second he wrenched his human form enough into existence for it to appear where he'd sheathed it.

"Secace, Sword of-"

Square in the chest was where Avenger planted his arm blade, impaling the wolf one more time, driving him to the ground with the overwhelming power Avenger had given himself. Secace clattered to the ground and skittered away.

Avenger gloated as dozens of familiars started dropping down, "Hehehe, did you mean to say Sword of Burning Victory? I'm not about to let you activate that Noble Phantasm again."

As his foe stabbed him again, Marrok couldn't hold on to his human form, but howled, "Go get Saber!"

Sakura understood the noise the came out of the wolf's mouth. It didn't register or even matter to her that she could understand wolf for some reason. It also didn't matter what he'd said. Sakura had no intention of running as one more stab came down. Instead, she ran for Secace.

Avenger started towards her, "NO!"

Marrok threw himself at the thing's legs, trying to at least trip the monster. He did, but even simply a toe slamming into him from such an empowered creature broke one of Marrok's ribs. It slowed Avenger down at least.

Sakura didn't know how it worked, but Marrok had tried to say its name and Avenger had stopped him. It had to work like Sailor Moon right? Sakura grabbed the blade and lifted it, "Stop hurting him! I won't let any of you monsters hurt him!"

Avenger stumbled closer.

"Secace! Sword of Burning Victory! GO!"

The mana of the sword flared up and surrounded Sakura in blue flame. As hundreds of familiars joined in the attack, Sakura swung her finishing strike. It would be a fair fight. One magical girl versus one servant empowered by four command seals and exactly 469 lesser demons.

The entire city was woken up by the sound of the sonic boom. Some even caught a glimpse of a skyscraper being lifted into the air and then reduced to almost nothing but powder from the force of the swing blasting it into the upper atmosphere. Tiny bits of five star hotel and skin familiar would be raining down on the city for hours. After that single swing from a small child protecting her adopted father from an army of demons, there was seemingly nothing left but the two of them. Marrok briefly worried for Kariya, but somehow did not feel the loss of his master even though he'd been in there.

Sakura was dumbstruck for a second.

Marrok winced, "Fair fight indeed."

The girl ran over to the wolf trying to stand, "No, stay still, let me heal you."

"Sakura, good work there. You should know though that sword's power only makes the fight fair physically. So when you challenged that army you became as strong as all of them combined to make it 'fair'. It's kind of cheating. That's not a fair fight at all. The army of lesser individuals stands no chance. The more of them the less they can win."

"That doesn't matter anymore." Sakura poured healing magic into her papa wolf.

"I'm telling you this because you can't beat just that monster with that sword."

"I just did."

Avenger, its recent skin blasted away, stood from the wreckage, "YOU GOD DAMNED WHELP! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sakura couldn't believe it.

Marrok explained, "It's a skinwalker. You basically killed a form of it, not it."

Avenger stomped forward slowly.

"What do I do?" the girl clutched the sword.

"Sakura. You can't run, the sword shuts off it you aren't fighting. You can't fight because its bigger and better at fighting than you. Being as strong and as fast as it is won't help you win. I can't help you fight it because that tips the balance. Because we'd outnumber him, it'd split his level of power between us."

"We can't win? We're going to die?"

Marrok started shifting into human form, somehow it wasn't nearly as hard. Maybe it was the healing? Maybe it was the fact his origin demanded this act above all else? Whatever it was, Marrok held to the hybrid form, the best form he had in his arsenal. The one most attributed to the werewolf legend and a blend of madness and reason. He glowed blue intensely as he tried to heal as much as he could. Given how much damage he'd taken, none of the healing he'd managed to get was enough yet.

He stood, a smile in his voice, "Go find Saber. I'll keep it busy."

Sakura offered Secace to him.

"No. Give it to Arthur. This thing used magic to boost it's stats. I'm not able to kill it in this condition and Saber won't stand a chance without Secace if it is this boosted."

"You'll die!"

Avenger punctuated that point by batting Marrok aside like a pillow, "Give me that sword!"

Sakura stood defiant, "No!"

Avenger lunged, but Sakura (just as fast as it) dove between its legs and stabbed it in the ankle.

She then started spitting out the bad language she'd picked up from that one brief exposure many nights ago, "Fuck you! You bitch!"

Two more lunges where met with the same response, Sakura briefly thinking she might be able to win. However her next try at using her size was met with a stomp to the back and her getting lifted by her sword arm.

Sakura would soon be exposed to more bad language.

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

A palm strike to the temple from someone made at least half its strength was still enough to make Avenger drop Sakura and that's what Marrok did as he ran up behind the creature.

"Sakura, RUN!"

Before Avenger recovered from being stunned, Marrok used his size manipulation ability to grow to about ten feet tall. Driving claws as deep as he could into Avenger's back, he lifted it over his head. Holding it by the area just over the small of the back with one hand and a now very long arm, Marrok had tapped into an old memory of the wildcat. Avenger thrashed left and right wriggled, but none of its limbs could reach Marrok's arm, and Marrok was correcting for every shift in balance. If Sakura ran and Secace switched off, Marrok could probably just hold Avenger there for at least long enough to give Sakura time to run.

"NOW!"

Sakura bolted, heading back the direction she thought the mansion was in with tears in her eyes and worry for Marrok in her heart. It didn't take her long to make two blocks at the speed of running for one's life. It was there that she realized she had no idea where she was.

"Fuck!" she yelled out, wiping tears from her eyes and sniffling with a runny nose.

On one such big sniffle, she realized she could smell things far more intensely. Even the stuffy nose from crying left her with far more of a sense of smell than she had had before. A moment passed and the chaos of the last few moments cleared from her mind, letting her make sense of it and remember. She had drank some of Marrok's blood. Sakura was a werewolf now. It stood to reason that she would have a wolf-like sense of smell.

So the smart little girl went to work clearing her nose of snot so she could use it. She could remember the flowery scent of Irisviel and Saber was always with her. If she could find that smell she could find Saber. This sound logic would not be rewarded though. As the girl was sniffing around for Irisviel, she came upon Saber by chance, who had of course seen the explosion of the building.

"SABER!" the girl didn't care that her idea hadn't really paid off. The job was done.

"Sakura!" the servant ran across the street to the girl, "Why do you have that sword? Where's Marrok?"

"Fighting some monster he called Avenger! I tried to help but I only got its first form and the army!"

Saber was briefly taken aback at that, but swiftly remembered the sword the girl had, "Good job. I'll handle it from here. Stay in this bus shelter and don't let anyone see you. I'll go save Marrok."

"Take the sword. Marrok said something about spells making Avenger too strong!"

Saber knew immediately what she meant and took the offered blade, not even taking note the girl hadn't been affected by the curse of the blade at all, "Right. In that case thank you for the assistance. I'll use this to great effect. They are still where that explosion happened, correct?"

The girl nodded, so Saber made sure Sakura hid in the shelter of the bus stop before running off to her original destination. She regretted her master's decision to find Avenger rather than support another servant that would eventually be an enemy. Despite her protests that helping Marrok would free him up to track Avenger for them, the man's judgment was clouded by Maiya apparently being infected with Marrok's lycanthropy. Maiya agreeing with Saber about helping Marrok didn't lessen the man's concerns that her loyalty might be affected by the curse in some way.

Part of her was looking forward to Maiya turning despite the risks from the Mage's Association. Marrok had confided to the Round Table that he did not fit in with normal wolves and would prefer life among humans. Even after that though, being a wolf among humans had been a struggle at first for the knight. Even after years he seemed lonely. Having someone that was a shapechanger like him, that he might... Saber clutched her loyal knight's sword tightly at the thought of her long time friend running off and them never speaking again. Not that they'd spoken much since they'd reunited. Saber clutched the sword harder.

It wasn't the time for those kinds of thoughts though, Saber made the two blocks of distance in moments, and cried out a battle cry of, "Secace! Sword of Burning Victory!"

Avenger whipped around, having escaped Marrok's trick and stabbed him once in the few minutes Sakura had been gone. The wolf promptly threw his weight into the back of Avenger's knee to throw it off balance, to hamstring the prey into the jaws of his king. Then he disengaged from the fight, running for Artoria as much as his wounded body would take him.

Artoria shouted as she shot past Marrok, "11th and Main Street, bus shelter."

"Arf!" and he bolted to find Sakura, healing as much as he could along the way.

Both of them understood how the Noble Phantasm worked. One on one was the only way to tip back in their favor the boost the command seals had given Avenger.

"Come, Avenger! This sword makes any one on one fight a test of skill and abilities. Not raw power. Can a demon, an unworthy knight, and a seductress match the skill of the King of Knights?"

Avenger rushed her, answering the challenge, Saber threw Secace point first into the ground. It didn't need to be held once the duel was on. So she went back to using Excalibur in two hands and rushed to meet Avenger. An epic test of skill. A showdown between the most famous knight in history and an abomination unlike the world had seen in centuries.

Their blades clashed, but Avenger was startled when Arthur's parry buckled immediately, using the momentum of the strike it had met to deflect the blade and bring the point of Excalibur's pommel level with Avenger's face. It was a move her loyal knight had used on her days ago, and not an uncommon one in the arsenal of skilled swordsman. Back then, it had been clear if either of them had been any lesser in skill the exchange would have ended the fight for one side or the other. So when Saber followed up by stepping around and bringing the sword straight down as a fluid part of the deflection, Avenger lost both of its arms.

It stumbled back, "No! Not fair! NOT FAIR!"

Artoria stepped back and thrust her sword straight into Avenger's heart, picking it up by the blade and lifting it overhead as she replied, "Quite the ironic Noble Phantasm is it not? Forcing a fair fight of pure skill is inherently very easy to make into an unfair fight."

Mana surged through Saber and then into her blade as she aimed for the sky.

"Ex...CALIBUR!"

Next Chapter: It's Not Unusual

Author's Note: Shorter chapter than normal, but as I was working on this I felt it better to end it here. Originally I was going to include some stuff happening back in the damaged castle (ala, still among ruins, just a different set) but that section will probably make this chapter too large. Anyway, there's pretty much all the details of Secace, a sword ability that I mentioned I've had in my head for a while and decided to make a Noble Phanstasm. Pretty neat right? An ability that makes both fighters even in all physical attributes, so the fight is technically fair. At its most base level an ability to make any fight fair. However, the ability naturally tilts the fight to the more skilled one or the one with more abilities. Additionally, the 'fair fight' stat increase against many enemies makes the disadvantaged one in numbers physically a match for the entire other side. Conceptually fair, but each individual on the more abundant side is weaker than the outnumbered guy, making the fight more unfair the greater the gap in numbers is. So effectively, it's an ability to make a fight fair, that cheats. While at the same time being totally useless or outright detrimental if the user fights a foe that is weaker, better at fighting, or has more special attacks. I thought it was a very neat concept.

That aside, next chapter we deal with the aftermath of all this action, build on that brief hint of jealousy from Saber (which is mostly platonic right now), meet back up with Kariya, and (since some things from the original anime still happen) Rider stops by for a sit down now that only 5 servants remain (Saber, Berserker, Rider, Archer, and Assassin), with Archer now without a Master. Next update will be within three days.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: It's Not Unusual

Hours had passed since the battle with Avenger and the group had slowly stopped back into the estate over that time in one form or another. They would be moving camp shortly, and Kiritsugu was off making the final preparations for that. Irisviel had been seeing what see could salvage while taking frequent breaks thanks to a drop in stamina from her undisclosed condition.

Marrok meanwhile, was walking the streets in his wolf form with Maiya and Sakura. Of course, Marrok had gotten an earful from Kiritsugu about Sakura infecting herself, and the wolf took it in stride. Even when they discovered both Maiya and Sakura could understand him in his wolf form now and translate, he made no defense for himself and admitted fault. Kiritsugu hadn't been pleased yet again when Maiya was neutral, defending aspects of both sides rather than taking his side without question like she normally would have.

At the moment though, the wolf was both helping his new, possibly temporary pack adjust to their heightened senses and budding wolf instincts by brining them back to the area near the ruined building and having them help him track Kariya. It was certain that he had somehow survived, because Marrok would notice if he lost the thing keeping him in the world. Even if he hadn't it had been hours. Marrok's mana reserves might still have been holding this long, but certainly not with the healing he had needed to do. He'd have faded away by now.

Sakura was not riding on Marrok's back this time, instead following on the opposite side from Maiya, "This is a very stinky alley."

"Direct your eyes to something and focus on that. Then try to sniff that specifically. Get closer if you have to. Keep your mind on that one thing."

Sakura sniffed Marrok. After a few moments, she replied, "Got it. So I keep doing it like that to shut smells out?"

"Yes, soon it will be second nature."

"Weird that I couldn't do it so well as a human."

"Not really. The stronger the sense the more precise the control has to be." Marrok turned to Maiya, "you aren't going to practice?"

She shook her head, "Strangely, I have no trouble with that."

"Hearing?"

"None. In general I seem to be taking to the enhancements well. Even the increase to my physical abilities I don't find clumsy."

Marrok continued on,"I'm not too shocked."

The pair followed, Maiya pressing that issue, "Why is that?"

"Oh, I forgot I haven't been able to talk with the group for a while. Do you remember when I sat next to you and stared at you?"

"Yes, for some reason you insisted I pet you."

"Well, the thing about that is I was actually confirming some information that I found interesting. You see, because my origin is awakened I can sense other origins and even awaken them. It's more detailed with touch, but I don't need the touch to sense them. Yours was the most surpressed one I have encountered, but was also very close to awakening. I found it odd."

Maiya stopped, "You saw my origin? And it interested you?"

Marrok turned and sat, "Yes. You know how origins have an effect on our actions right?"

"Yes. They are the aspect that split off from the Root to make us."

"Exactly. I overheard some aspects of your history. I apologize fr that, but they confirm what I sensed. You have always been squad based fighter but with a style of being a lone unit supporting that team. You've always been subservient to a male leader figure and slide naturally into that role. However, you are comfortable being the second in command for Kiri, and always regarded Iri as his main lover even though you sleep with him. You also deeply want children, though that's not inherently bizarre."

Sakura wasn't sure what some of that meant, but she kept quiet.

Maiya was starting to put some pieces together though. The familiarity with her new condition, the reaction to the sword, the way he was putting her past actions, how comfortable she had always been hunting others, "Wait a minute... you're saying my origin is 'wolf'?"

"Exactly. Though it's not unheard of for origins to be animals, it's rare and a huge coincidence. Perhaps your suppressed origin came knocking when you used the sword." Marrok stood and continued sniffing around, "Either way, you should make sure you note how to do all of these things. Your origin is mutating from the curse. I suspected it might, but it's slowly turning to mine. Right now you're almost a middle ground: noble wolf. More wolf though. Come the full moon I don't know what will happen to it. You may stick there."

"You said you can awaken origins?"

Marrok turned, surprised at what she was implying, "You want me to? That will lock it so that it won't continue changing; but we have no idea what that will do to you. I doubt you'll spontaneously become a wolf, but certainly you'll be stuck with lycanthropy even after the war."

"So you're saying that if I do this, Kiritsugu won't be hasty if we can't end the war before the full moon? Because I'll cursed forever either way?"

"Listen, Kiritsugu has doubts as to your loyalty because the curse might make you instinctively follow an alpha wolf, me. My influence on your origin is probably not helping."

"I'm-"

"Torn but not going to betray either?"

"Yes... I don't think I physically could."

"I get it. I have the same set of instincts and influences. I just want to make sure you aren't doing this to make peace. Do you feel any tugging at your very being at the thought?"

"None."

"Nothing like when Kiritsugu suggests I'm an enemy?"

"When that happens I feel instinctively uncomfortable."

"Okay. So it's not my origin intruding on yours that's making you want this, but are you sure?"

Maiya thought. The idea of being a werewolf even after Marrok disappeared after the war... seemed natural. The suggestion that 'wolf' was her nature just mde all the sense in the world at a primal level deep in her heart. With this... maybe she could stop her non-existance, be a person of her own, yet still be a help to Kiritsugu. It felt so very right. A fresh start, a renewal.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Marrok shrugged, "Fine. Keep in mind this might accelerate the change to werewolf so you'll have an intense increase in your senses and instincts. The noble part will help, but I want to establish one thing before your wolf instincts kick in."

"Go ahead."

"You will never be the alpha female of this pack. Alpha males have multiple mates, but I have no intention of having any. The alpha female of my pack will always be Saber. If you challenge her, even instictively, it is betraying me and I will answer accordingly."

"Understood. I have one question..."

"Shoot."

"While you are here... I am fine with being in your pack. What happens," she glanced at Sakura, not wanting to imply what was bound to happen to Marrok when the war ended, "if you go somewhere I can't?"

"You'll be free to do whatever you want, even start your own pack. If something happens to me though, and Sakura is still a werewolf too, I ask that you help protect her."

Sakura broke her silence, hugging her papa, "No, if you go away I'll come with you!"

"I might have to go back to Camelot."

"I'll go too!"

"You might not be able to."

"I'll find a way! I don't wanna be without you. You're my papa now!"

Marrok patted the little girl's head with his paw, "Now, now. We still have time to figure something out. If your Uncle Kariya and I win the war for the Grail I'll wish to stay! How's that?"

"Yay! Can you awaken my origin too?"

Marrok put his paw down, "No. That's a big choice you should be older before making. It's not just a cool power-up it changes your life. You have to follow it after that. It's like a spell being cast on you."

"But my origin will change to yours too right? Shouldn't I get mine locked in too? I don't mind be nobility, but what's my own origin?"

Marrok ruffled her hair with a paw, "Something as positive as you are little one: Embracing. Though it did shift a little more positive from nobility intruding on it."

"So what's the problem waking that up?"

"Do you want to have the compulsion to always be hugging someone?"

Sakura hugged her papa, "Yeah!"

Marrok chuckled, "You see, you'll hate it when you get older and your climb up the social ladder is impeded by your need to hug people."

"Aw..."

"Maybe if I stay." Marrok pulled away from his adopted daughter and over to Maiya, "Meanwhile, if you're sure, I'll awaken yours. Don't let Kiri find this out any other way than telling him. I don't want him thinking the wrong thing. Speaking of which, remind me to have you help me talk to him. It's slipping my mind with all that's going on, but his origin needs discussing."

"What do you mean? Is something wrong with his origin?"

"Well, to put it simply, he's using it how he doesn't want to, and that's twisting it into something he doesn't want it to be. Whoever told him his origin must have noticed the weapons applications of it and ignored the complexity of it. If he awakens fully to his origin the wrong way, it will ruin him and everything around him."

Meanwhile, back at the estate, Saber had been helping Irisviel salvage and spent a long time going through the upper floors. About a half hour after Marrok had left, Saber finished checking the upstairs and walked back through what remained of the lower floors towards the garden, noting the irony that the garden that Marrok and her had damaged so severely was now one of the most intact things in the place. Thankfully, Kiritsugu's half of that 'have fun' plan days before had been moving most of the stuff of value to another location in anticipation of an attack. They already had another headquarters it seemed, though Saber had not seen it. Though it spoke volumes of the strength of a good castle. This place was burned out, but the structure was fine. Some of the rooms were even untouched. After cleaning, it would be livable without even bothering with more than minor repairs.

She found Irisviel resting on a bench in the garden, looking quite tired, "Are you okay, Irisviel?"

The woman looked up and smiled, "I'm fine, Saber; but thank you. It's just the war and everything else getting to me."

"Indeed. The few days have been rather intense. Speaking of which, have you seen Marrok?"

"I think he was with Maiya and Sakura the last I saw him. He was helping them adjust to the new instincts and abilities from the lycanthropy. Apparently he's doing that by having them help him track down Kariya."

Saber seemed crestfallen at that.

"Something wrong?"

"No... it just seems like he has been avoiding me unless a task requires him to be around me. I'm glad he's found some kindred spirits. I fear for Maiya and Sakura's safety due to being monsters now, but Marrok has long been without people exactly like him."

"For a second there I thought you might be jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" Saber genuinely didn't know, even though there were hints of the emotion in her heart they were so vague they were practically nothing.

"I don't know, maybe that your loyal knight as found someone else to treat like a queen."

Saber was still perplexed, "I do not believe he has ever treated me that way. As a king perhaps."

"Knights don't kiss the hands of their kings do they?"

"Do they not?"

"Did any other of your knights do it?"

"No... but that doesn't make any sense. He always did that and only a few people in my time knew my gender."

Irisviel looked the servant, still in her battle gear, up and down, "Did you wear that in life?"

"I-I was enchanted by Merlin to appear as a man so my clothing did not matter as much. It's easier to move my legs around in this."

Irisviel rubbed her chin, "Did Marrok seem at all shocked now that you don't have that enchantment?"

Come to think of it, he hadn't been.

"And in the briefing didn't he explain his origin makes him immune to anything that would manipulate his body or senses? Would that even have worked on him to begin with?"

"Come to think of it, while he was trapped as a wolf and was serving as my hound, he would always leave the room when I changed and would never share a bath with me."

"Not surprisingly, he is a gentleman."

"So, he always saw me as a woman and treated me as such?" Saber searched her memories, "It is hard to judge, he did dote a little bit more than the other knights, but always treated me as the king of Britain."

It was then that something small dawned on her.

"He did always ensure there were beautiful flower arrangements in my quarters, but I never gave it much thought other than appreciating their quality. They were so meticulous."

"How sweet." Irisviel smiled, "I know he doesn't look like the type, but Kiri also quietly made sure I had flowers when he could. Even in the cold land I come from where there usually aren't any."

"I-I don't think Marrok had the same sentiments as your husband."

Iri's smile became a smirk, "Why wouldn't he? You're beautiful, Saber."

"You flatter me."

"No, I'm being honest. You should talk more with Marrok when you get the chance, maybe you two could-"

"I don't have the luxury. We'll be opposing sides in the war soon and I have my responsibilities as King. Besides, I'm sure he would be far happier with his own kind. He seems to get along well with Maiya."

"You are jealous!"

"No. I am not jealous. I can note two people I know that go well together without having animosity behind it. I want what is best for my subjects. Especially my knights. Maiya can understand him even though he is stuck in that form and soon she'll be able to take on that form herself."

Iri promptly remembered something, "That reminds me, Saber. I think I figured out why he is stuck in the form of a wolf."

Saber brightened, "You have?"

"Yes. It's his origin. It forces him to be loyal to you because he chose you as his queen."

"King."

"Queen. Anyway, you were far more outgoing and happy when he started being in wolf form. Is there anything like that that happened in life that might have made him think, even subconsciously, that you prefer him in that form? Something he might have taken as an order?"

Saber thought, "I can't think of anything. I've always supported Marrok being in the form he chooses. Do you think he may have misunderstood something?"

"Maybe. You really can't think of anything? Did you ever argue?"

"Never. He would usually either take my side or provide reasonable council."

"Hm, he is required to follow you after all."

Suddenly, that tipped the chain of dialogue into reminding Saber of something. Of the only time since they met that Marrok didn't follow her in battle. The Roman front. Her face blanched, "Oh, no."

"You remembered something?"

Saber's face contorted slightly in pain, "Marrok... you idiot... I didn't mean that!"

"What?"

Saber shook her head to help control herself, "Shortly before I left for the Roman front, one of my knights named Tristan was suffering greatly and I wasn't as sympathetic as I should have been. He stormed out, never to return, claiming I didn't understand the hearts of men."

The servant bit her lip at the memory. It had hurt her deeply, even if she hadn't shown it to her knights at the time. She'd believed she couldn't. In truth...

"It pained me greatly; but rather than go after him as I should have I went to my own quarters in despair. I thought he would return and I could address it then. I was very upset with myself, nearly in tears. I could not show such a side of myself to my knights, but then Marrok walked in in his wolf form trying to be a comfort."

"He understood you were in pain."

"I knew that, but I couldn't show that side to my knights. I yelled at him to stop playing at being my dog, that he couldn't be that anymore. That I didn't want to see him."

Ir gasped, "Saber!"

"I know, in hindsight I realized I must have hurt him greatly saying that. I soon after left for the Roman front and he didn't come with me. I didn't see him again until the shipyard."

"You didn't?"

"When I came back from the front the rebellion was on. I had to fight my way back to the capitol, and he died shortly before I reached Camlann Hill."

"How could you say that to him, Saber?"

She looked greatly pained, "I must apologize to him. He was trying to help me and I cast him aside. I did not think he would take that literally, that I didn't want to see him. Now, that also has him thinking I prefer him as my dog and not my knight. I have not helped that with my actions either. You are right. His condition is a result of my callousness!"

"Worse than that. Didn't Kariya say that he saw Marrok's first mate leave him because he wasn't enough like a wolf? Then you throw him out because he stopped being a wolf? He's probably in knots inside."

"I'm not his mate."

"Saber, are you sure he isn't in love with you? Because I've seen the way he looks at you. He can't even hide it in the form of a wolf."

The discussion was cut short when the pack of werewolves (only one in the form of a wolf of course) came in with Kariya, who was no worse for wear, "Wow, this place looks like hell. Better than that hotel though I guess."

Irisviel stood up, overjoyed, "Kariya! You're okay!"

Karyia smiled back, but he seemed uncomfortable, "Yeah. Kayneth had traps on the floor below. When I started down the building I ran right into one that ejected me from the building. Dumb luck right? Thankfully I was out in plenty of time before that place went up."

He held up his hand, which had all its command seals again.

"Marrok made sure to take me to the church for his share of the bounty on Avenger."

Irisviel showed her hand, which had exactly one, "Kiri talked the priest into giving his to me. Since Kayneth had his wife share the burden of providing his servant mana, it gave us an argument to allow this."

"Wow." Kariya admired the idea, "Now Saber has a back-up master."

Saber stepped forward"Speaking of masters, Irisviel thinks I might have accidentally caused Marrok's condition thanks to something I said to him once and how I've been acting."

Marrok cocked his head to the side curiously.

Saber glanced back at Irisviel for a moment, and tried not to blush or studder, "Marrok... can we discuss this one on one? I would rather keep this private."

Kariya's face hardened a little, not trusting this, "It really has to be private?"

Marrok barked.

Sakura quickly jumped in to get a chance to help her father, "He said he trusts Saber and you should trust him. He won't betray us and neither will Saber."

"Right." Kariya paused a moment, "Can I have a minute first?"

"Certainly." Saber bowed slightly, "I will wait for him on the Eastern battlements of the castle."

Marrok nodded and Saber looked at him fleetingly before marching to the promised place. Iri was all smiles. After all, she shipped it.

When Kariya motioned for Marrok to follow him to a more remote part of the garden, he had to stop and hold a hand up to stop Maiya, "This is private too, and I won't need a translator."

Maiya looked to Marrok, who replied that it was of course fine and she would need to get used to the pack instinct to protect the alpha. Nobody else but Sakura caught the message though, and the little girl thought the hierarchy of their little club was cool.

When the servant and his master reached a quiet spot, Marrok couldn't help Kariya looked a little forlorn, so he whined a little.

Kariya didn't get the message, "Don't be like that. I'm not mad at you or going to tell you something you don't want to hear."

The man looked at his new command seal, "She's going to fix you right? So maybe things can go back to how they were before? No... I'm not sure I want that."

He sighed.

"You know. When I was at the church I called Aoi. Oh, I never told you about her did I? She's my childhood friend. I...," he sighed again, "If only I could have summoned you earlier."

Marrok placed a paw on this master's shoe.

"Thanks." Kariya continued, "I never said anything about my feelings when we were growing up because I'm a Matou. I thought she'd be happier with the Tohsakas"

Marrok looked surprised.

"Yeah, I was in love with Sakura's mother. I was like an uncle to her kids before I eventually couldn't take living around the Matous anymore and left the country. So I can relate to you never saying anything to Saber in life. Anyway, I called her, and she was furious at me. She called me a kidnapper and demanded her daughter back. I told her I'd bring her back because she'd be safe now. When I told her what Tokiomi had done to her daughter I screwed up by saying she was free from him now that he's dead. She thought I killed him in the war! What's with that? I save her daughter and she calls me a kidnapper, doesn't believe anything I say about the monster she loves or the place he sent her too. I screwed everything up."

Marrok whined.

"It's okay. It's for the best maybe. I don't think the Mage's Association will come after me because a berserker servant killed renowned assholes and Tokiomi died in a war. I messed up with Aoi a long time ago. I should have been brave enough to say something and protect her frm my family."

Kariya knelt down and showed Marrok his command seals with a sad smile on his face, "After you've done so much for me, I don't want you to miss this chance at your free wish. You deserve this much, and knowing you it'll take a command seal to make you do it."

Marrok looked worried, terrified.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to force you to confess, but by the power of my command seal I order you: If she fixes the issue keeping you in wolf form, do what you really want to do and don't leave any regrets."

The command seal vanished, and Marrok was briefly surrounded by a red glow. He huffed at the waste of a hard won resource, but appreciated the gesture. Marrok nuzzled his master's hand like a dog would and looked questioningly at him.

"Yes, you can go to her now, Champ. Go have a good talk."

the master watched his servant trot off to see his king, his love. His heart ws lighter, but still heavy. Heavy with his own regrets and the only certain thing about his future being that Marrok was not capable of winning this war.

When Marrok reached the battlements, he got a nice view of Saber set against the moon asshe sat gazing at the stars. He fell in love with her all over again. Then three more times when a gentle breeze began to blow on the scene. It took all of his will to fight his instinct t run at her and tackle her to the ground. The fact that the moon was so close to full didn't help. It pulled at him as the lunar cycle empowered the legendary werewolf curse he'd been shackled with.

Instead he strolled over, falling in love one more time when Saber noticed his approach and awkwarly smiled at him, "Marrok, that was faster than I thought."

"Arf."

Saber frowned a little, "Irisviel proposed that you are stuck in that form because of your origin forcing you to obey me. That you think I prefer you as a wolf."

Marrok looked at his king sideways.

"I'm not the best at reading emotions, so I apologize. I've been acting so fond of your wolf form and Irisviel helped me remember how I've wronged you. Back when Tristan left."

Marrok whined.

Saber gave her knight a pained expression, "Back then I yelled at you and told you to stop playing the role of my pet dog because you weren't that anymore. I accidentally implied that I would have preferred it if you had stayed my pet dog. I didn't mean that."

The wolf shifted awkwardly, trying to reassure his king without acting like a dog.

"I was hurting that night because Tristan threw in my face the very thing the people had started saying, and I couldn't show that to my knights. When I saw you come in, I got mad because I indeed missed you just being a smart pet of mine and not another knight I had to hide myself from."

Saber reached down and stroked around Marrok's ear, caressing the side of his chin.

"I'm sorry. I was foolish. I should have simply known I could still confide in you. I didn't really want you to be my pet again and I don't prefer your wolf form. I prefer you be in the form you prefer. I know how lonely you were among wolves, I would never trap you as one."

Marrok licked the caressing hand.

Saber smiled slightly despite herself, "So could you try again one more time for me?"

He hesitated.

"Even if you think it would hurt me to confirm I was to blame. Please. I want to see my knight in the form he truly wants to be in. I don't want my knight or my hound to suffer."

Marrok whined, but then tried again, and it worked. It worked jarringly well. There was no pain or transition as there had been with the problem in effect. He simply put the form on as easily as Artoria called on her armor. Marrok the King's Hound appeared kneeling in front of his king, her hand still caressing his head, a hand he placed his own onto because he wanted it to never leave.

Saber was heartbroken, her game falling, "It was my fault. I caused you so much pain and hindered you so."

"My ki... Artoria."

Artoria looked up again, a little surprised to hear her real name. Marrok had never called her that to her recollection.

He continued, "It isn't your fault. It's my own weakness. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I suspected. I could have defied it. I have to be noble, but it normally cannot do that much to control me. T's my origin after all, my true nature. It pulls me to do things I would do anyway."

"But still, you thought I wanted you in that form and you wanted to obey me."

Marrok pulled her hand from his face and kissed the palm then the back of it. It made Artoria blush a little given what Irisviel had suggested his feelings where and the expression of longing on his face.

"Marrok?"

"Forgive me my king, Artoria. I was stuck in that form because I thought you wanted me in it, and I desperately wanted to restore the closeness we lost that night. No, when I became a man. If I had simply had the will to return to this form and seek that closeness myself I would not have been stuck."

"No, please dont blame yourself for this."

"I blame myself rightly. Even back then... I knew you didn't want me out of your sight forever, but I gave into my sadness and stayed out of it. Your callousness did not force my origin to geas me. I simply wallowed in my own self-pity and watched you leave for the Roman front. I wasn't there to protect when you lost Avalon, I wasn't at your side when you returned, and I could not slay the one who would later kill you because you did not have Avalon."

"Marrok no, do not blame yourself for that. It was my own folly."

Tears fell from the knight's eyes, "My mistakes killed you.'

Artoria did something very shocking right then, the normally controlled king embraced her knight, crying with him, "No. It was my own folly that killed me, Marrok. More than just that night led up to my demise. I was not as good a king as I could have been."

"Don't be silly, you were a wonderful king!"

"I made no attempt to understand the hearts of my subjects. Tristan was right."

Marrok pulled away, looking Artoria in the eyes, "You were an example for everyone to live up to. Everyone idolized you as the ideal knight. Every single one of us. If you had any shortcomings it was our failings as your knights if we did not make up for them enough or inform you."

Artoria shook her hand, "You truly are hopelessly loyal to me."

"Of course." Marrok smiled as if praised, a little bit of the simple dog side of him showing itself in his personality.

"God, why did I ever think I couldn't still confide in you? I could have just let you see that side of me. You aren't capable of judging me or thinking less of me." she got up and returned to her seat, looking again at the stars, "Just one more mistake to correct."

Marrok stood, "Correct?"

Artoria smiled, "Yes, Marrok. My wish is to have another try at my reign. Think of how everything could work out now that I know all the mistakes I made. Maybe I could try being more open this time."

"Indeed... maybe you could take me with you? I could perhaps get that skinwalker as it was summoned, keeping the powers I gained but with none of the loss of life. Then I could rejoin you right away."

Something dawned on Artoria, "Is that your wish? To have save that farm and your former mater? You died before learning of what happened on the Roman front, so your regret from life could not be my death even if that is your bigger regret now."

"No." Marrok hesitated, but felt the tug of the command spell encouraging him to tell her, "My regret... is unimportant. When you win it will be fixed."

"I can't fix grievances I don't know about, Marrok. How am I to confide in you if you won't confide in me?"

Marrok bit his lip. He knew they were from medieval times. Times that only accepted Artoria because he posed as a man and was a good king. They would not support a woman or a king that had a male lover. Marrok's wish could only get in the way of Artoria's dream. He could not defy her unless he truly wished it though, so he took the best route he cold manage.

"It's nothing as grand as saving all of Britain and the Knights of the Round. I told Kariya it was for a love that wouldn't betray me."

Artoria fidgeted, "Given your background I can see why you would want that. I always thought you seemed lonely. I'm sorry I was so busy with my kingship to act of my worries."

"It's not your fault."

"That aside, would you want a love from a wish?"

Marrok chuckled, "That's exactly what Kariya said, but honestly I phrase it that way because it sounds poetic. My wish is not unlike yours, it's more for a second chance at it."

"Oh?" Artoria couldn't help but remember what Irisviel had said about Marrok being in love with her. If he was, Artoria had no idea how she would respond to a confession from someone that had been her pet dog once.

"Yeah, I already found a love that would never betray me, so I can't exactly get one of those from the Grail." he looked uncomfortable. "Forgive me, my king, for the things I am about to say but I have no choice. Kariya, trying to be helpful, hit me with a command seal before I came to you."

Artoria stood up abruptly, "Marrok, if you are about to confess your love for me, I... I don't have the luxury of answering them."

Marrok fell silent.

"I am King of Britain. I have responsibilities I can't abandon. You know our time. I am not permitted to be a woman."

"I know that, but every day I spent watching you force yourself to be a man, to isolate yourself. The lonely look you had on your face sometimes. Part of me wanted to save you from that."

"You don't need to save me from anything."

"My regret from life wass never telling you how I felt for fear of rejection. I regret not telling you, treating you like the goddess you are, and fighting so you could be queen in charge of Camelot, be yourself. I fought for King Arthur, when every moment I drew breath I wanted to fight for Queen Artoria."

"Marro-"

An aura of red mana pushed the rest out of him, "You're my king, a good king. You are my queen, and I should have fought to make that real, the world's opinion of women by damned. I would follow your leadership into the gates of hell and as we purged those lands of evil and claimed the throne for you I would take you to heights of ecstasy upon that throne that likes of which could only be called carnal worship befitting a goddess of war and beauty."

Artoria promptly blushed at the suggestion of being ravaged on the throne of conquered hell.

So did the one that said it, "S-sorry. Command seal. That was a bit grandiose."

"A bit?"

"More than a bit... What I'm trying to say is that I love you, Artoria. With everything that I am or ever will be, and I will fight for you, be it as my king or queen. For Artoria's reign, and so that you can be Artoria."

Artoria took a step back, "This is sudden..."

"I know. I didn't want to get in the way, or make your dream harder... but I don't want you to carry all of that responsibility alone. I want to fight for you."

Suddenly, the precense of another servant cut into the conversation. Looking to the skies, Rider's chariot was on the approach, making no effort to conceal itself or launch any sort of long ranged attack.

"Rider." Saber noted.

"I don't think he's attacking but we should be on guard regardless."

Saber nodded and looked back at her knight, blushing again, "We'll talk about this later... I need time to think."

"I understand. No pressure."

Saber pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting it fall, "Um... I heard noble ladies of the court would give knights tokens of favor before they headed into battle as a token of admiration. Don't read too much into this... but I will answer you this much, allow this much of a female's graces to slip. You have my favor, Sir Marrok."

The knight smiled, kneeling and offering his hand, so that Saber cold tie the ribbon around his wrist and hide it under the sleeve of his suit. When she was done, Marrok gallantly took her hand and kissed the back of it. The same hand he had always kissed, the same hand she always used to pet him and play their little game with.

Of course, Artoria blushed, which deepened slightly when Marrok pulled a scrap of cloth from his handkerchief and fashioned her a new ribbon, "Im not about t let you go face a guest at any less than how you prefer looking. Here. I will get you a better token later."

Saber took the new ribbon, "It's perfect,Marrok. Let's go."

The two headed off to the garden where Rider seemed to be headed, not noticing that Kariya had been listening to the entire conversation.

Next Chapter: Drinks and Assassins

Author's Note: Sorry if there are many typos. I don't have time to proof this time and really want this out. I have to go to work and will correct them later if needed. Regardless please read and review. Helps a lot.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Drinks and Assassins

Rider, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, had parked his chariot right in the burned out foyer of the castle and was solemn at the sight of the place. Upon seeing Saber and Marrok coming downstairs, and most of the others coming in from the garden, he brightened slightly, hefting a keg onto one shoulder.

"I received word of your great exploits and losses in battle and have come with drink. Nothing finer to ease the sting and extol the victories." he regarded their armored figures quizzically, "Do you greet all your guests in armor? Where are your fashionable street clothes like mine?"

Saber sighed, "We've had a long few days, Rider. We thought the worst of your approach."

"You think me some bonepicker? No. When I face you it shall be at your finest. If I must face you at all. I still believe we can reach a peaceful conclusion despite all the bloodshed so far."

Marrok regarded the King of Conquerors, "I assume you will not be trying to bribe my king into joining you again?"

"Of course not. I know better. I simply hoped for a discussion over beverages as we celebrate the triumphs of the pair of you. Each of you has a victory under your belt and another servant was left without a master in the process. Truly a force I should be speaking with before fighting."

Saber was impressed, "I apologize for underestimating you. You are wiser than you first appeared. Very well. We will sit with you and talk. Despite the fact you have again interrupted a conversation I was having with my knight."

Rider was aghast at the coincidence, "Strange, I never thought of myself as having such bad timing. Forgive me."

"You are forgiven, and welcome to join us in what's left of the estate."

"Pity what happened. It looks like it would have been a bit stuffy for my taste but clearly very sound construction."

"Indeed."

"Do you have a garden that may have fared better? Drinking in such a sight can only sour the wine."

"Yes. It has seen better days, but it is still serviceable for gatherings if you do not mind a few small craters from training."

"Ah-haha! A fine-sounding place indeed!"

Iskandar hopped from his chariot and dispelled it, his master falling out from his hiding spot.

"Stand up, Boy, you are embarrassing yourself."

The lad stood up, dusting himself off, "You could have warned me!"

"Did you assume I would just leave a chariot parked in our hosts' castle? I am rude, but I do have my limits."

Marrok smirked, strolling over to the boy and offering a hand, the boy of course was scared at the idea of an enemy servant coming right up to him, but he nervously took the much larger hand and had his hand shaken.

"I see you have quite the handful here, young one. What is your name?"

"Waver Velvet."

Marrok bowed politely, "I am Sir Marrok Kingshound, retainer to King Artoria Pendragon. Rest assured that as her guest I will ensure your safety unless you yourself prove to be a threat."

"Me? A threat?"

"We have many people here that aren't servants and I do not know your true ability."

"I'm not going to try anything!"

"I'm sure." Marrok smiled, "I did not mean to suggest you would. Come, sit with us."

Artoria meanwhile was sharing some idle chatter with Iskandar, and Irisviel noted there was royal protocol at work. Saber, the king, was making sure the foreign king felt welcome but respectfully reminded whose territory he was in, while Marrok, the retainer, handled the guest's entourage. At the same time, Maiya was with her, keeping her and Sakura behind her while appearing both guarded and casual. She did so without even being told anything. Speaking of Sakura, she was staring at Waver very intensely.

She whispered to herself, though aloud, as she seemed fascinated and strangely excited, "Foreign dignitary."

Irisviel wasn't sure if Sakura had also gotten the same impression or was wanting to play that game from that TV show with Waver. Maybe it was her first crush? The little girl was being difficult to read. She still wasn't totally sure when they were seated to the side in the courtyard and Sakura was chatting Waver's ear off with questions about where he was from and what kind of magecraft he knew.

Meanwhile, Kariya finally showed up, a bit late to proceedings, "Did I miss something? Why are they sitting down with Rider with a keg?"

Irisviel shrugged, "He came over to have a party it seems."

"What even is this war? Straight from karaoke to demon horde, to a drinking party."

In the center of the garden, the three servants had convened, Marrok only sitting when his king bid him to. Iskandar opened the cask with a punch and drunk straight from a wooden dipper. Downing a whole serving at once before offering Saber a cup.

Saber read the friendly challenge in his eyes and drank long and deep, before handing the cup back and showing no ill effects. Iskandar was impressed. He promptly offered Marrok a cup.

He took it, drinking it no problem.

"Ah, fine drinking companions. I was assured this was a stout but fine wine and I find it adequate enough. Maybe we can feel a slight buzz soon, eh?"

"I apologize, Iskandar, but I am not able to get drunk." Marrok bowed, "I refrain in advance from any contests you suggest in that regard."

"That's no fun."

"It cannot be helped." Saber explained, "Sir Marrok is immune to anything that would negatively affect his body. As you can tell, he even has his sanity in the face of a Madness Enhancement."

Iskandar chuckled, "Mostly. I remember the shipyard."

"My king was in danger and my master bid me fight a hated enemy. I make no apologies."

"Nor should you. A fine knight you are."

Marrok turned towards an open path, "And this is when Archer materializes and makes a snide remark."

Saber readied for combat.

Iskandar waved him off, "Peace, Saber. I invited him to our little gathering. Would you deny a dying king a final drink?"

Saber relaxed only a little as Archer materialized, "Do not presume to pity me, Mongrel. I have come to your little gathering as it would be beneath me to be rude and refuse. Pray tell, what beverages have you acquired to compensate me for coming to this pile of wreckage?"

Rider offered a cup.

"Surely you don't expect me to drink after the dog?"

Rider quickly took action before the situation could escalate. It was a simple, but very strategic move. He shrugged, drank the cup and then offered Archer the next one so he would not be drinking directly after Marrok. It may seem like a casual dismissal of Archer's complaint, but it also conveyed wordlessly that he didn't think anything of drinking after Marrok himself, while also possibly making Archer think he was just a simple oaf trying to clumsily appease him. Regardless of outcome, it disarmed the possibility of an angry response from their hosts. It was actually pretty subtly genius.

"Ugh. Did you not even think to bring more than one cup? More than one cask? Here." Archer summoned a horizontal portal, from which descended a golden jug of what had to be wine, in his other hand he summoned three golden cups, "My storehouse has nothing but the finest treasures of the world and drink is no exception."

"Oh, so you're Gilgamesh." Marrok blurted out immediately.

Archer tensed, finding only disdain for a dog calling out his true name.

"The only hero king whose most famous thing was his treasury. That explains the large arsenal of Noble Phantasms."

Rider chuckled, "I suspected as much. All the more with that proclamation of yours, King Gilgamesh."

Archer scoffed, "I made no attempt to hide my identity."

Pouring three glasses of the wine, he passed one to each king and placed the third next to himself, after a brief hesitation, he grabbed the dipper from Rider and poured into it, thrusting it to Marrok, but looking at Saber, "I am not a poor guest, Saber. If you want to feed wine to dogs it is your own business. He too should know of the splendor I hold over all others."

"Cheers then," Rider raised the glass and took a deep swing, though he did not chug it. Such a thing would be rude, "Oh, this is simply astonishing."

Saber glanced down into the cup with a grimace, she didn't want anything to do with Archer, but it was beneath her to be rude to a dying man. She raised the glass to toast with Marrok, "Cheers."

Their glasses clicked and each drank. It was surprising quite amazing. There are no words to describe it justly, as honestly, the species of fruits used to make it have long ceased to be. It was literally a flavor that doesn't exist anymore. It was not quite the level of being compared to the nectar of the gods, but it did certainly live up to Archer's boast. If not exceed it. A philosopher or writer might muse on the possibility that Archer was actually in a bizarre way humble about his treasures, if they all exceeded his boasts this much.

"Truly a fine wine, Archer."

Marrok nodded.

Rider took another sip before starting what he truly wanted to discuss, "Now as I was saying, I was hoping we could come to some sort of peaceful resolution to this conflict. The Grail is said to be fated for the one most worthy of obtaining it. The battle taking place here in Fuyuki is a means by which to decide that, but if it is only a means to discern that then there's hardly a need for more bloodshed. If the Heroic Spirits can simply agree on our rankings, then the matter settles itself."

"Well, Saber-"

Saber lifted her hand to stop him, "I suppose you desire to compare your own rank to my own?"

"Indeed. No offense, but Sir Marrok has already declared himself your knight, so his ranking in relation to you is clear."

"You are mistaken." Saber furrowed her brow, "You assume his ranking as my knight places him below you."

"Oh ho." Rider quite enjoyed that retort.

Archer interjected, "I can agree with Rider on this. The dog should not be in the running."

Marrok growled, "I can agree with everyone that the one who'll be dead any time now should not get a vote."

Archer glared back, "So you agree with me then."

Marrok stood, almost barking at the servant. To the side, Maiya and Sakura instinctively twitched, their wolf instincts nudging them to support the alpha of the pack. Common sense won out though, and Saber motioning for him to stop helped.

"I'm sorry, my king. It's the moon. My temper is a bit short."

"Please, remain silent. I will handle this."

Of course, Rider tried to keep things calm and on topic, "Regardless, second place does not matter in this conflict, so if he is ranked beneath you..."

"Point taken." Saber nodded, "How do you suggest we determine our rankings?"

"Well." Iskandar took another drink from his cup, "We sit and discuss it over drinks. Surely we can pose questions over refreshments and debate our values to determine who is truly worthy."

Archer rolled his eyes, "This is nonsense. The Grail War is a ritual that can only be settled by combat. You know nothing of the rules of magic, Rider. There are clearly defined and set traditions that must be followed."

"Humor me, Archer."

"Tsk."

"I pose the question to you first, King Gilgamesh, what wish will you ask for if you obtain the grail?"

"A pointless question. All treasures of the world are mine. Therefore the Grail is already mine. Anyone who seeks to obtain it are simply thieves trying to steal it. I've no interest in it other than protecting it from those who would dare rob my stores. It's a matter of principle."

"Oh? So I'm curious then. What morals and reasoning are these principles of yours based on?"

"It is the law. My law, which I laid down as the one true king."

Saber started seeming a little lost. Incredulous at the things she was hearing.

"Perfect. Living by ones own law is the epitome of kingship." Rider finished off his glass, "However, I desire the Grail more than anything and it has always been my style to simply take what I want. After all, the great Iskandar is the King of Conquerors."

"Right and wrong are irrelevant. You break the law and I will punish you. Master or not. There is no room for discussion on this."

"So, I suppose there's nothing left to us than to meet in battle."

Marrok tensed... why was Iskandar not talking to Saber anymore? It seemed like he was brushing her off.

The King of Conquerors lifted the jug and shook it, "So, Archer, do you still want us to help you finish this off? Maybe if you aren't dead by then when can settle your claim, but for now there's no point in wasting good wine."

"Indeed. Unless you have complaints about my gift?"

This sounded like an end to all serious discussion to him, so Marrok took great offense to this, and started to step up, but was stopped by Saber once again.

"King of Conquerors."

Iskandar looked up.

"A moment ago you agreed that the ownership of the grail lay with someone else, and that you would just take it by force. What makes the Grail so important to you?"

Rider fidgeted, taking a long drink before sheepishly saying, "Reincarnation."

His master ran over, "What?! Wasn't your goal supposed to be world conquest?"

Rider slapped him gently back, though the boy went flying, "Idiot. As if I would leave the conquering to a cup. Conquering the world is my dream to make true, my wish on the grail is the first step towards that goal."

"Mongrel, you would dare challenge me for my treasure for something so trivial?"

Iskandar gazed at his hand, "Even if the grail has given us physical form in this world we are still servants. I wish to live as flesh and blood in this world in which I find myself. Then, with nothing but my body, I will defy both heaven and earth. Succeeding in that endeavor is the true meaning of conquest!"

Archer smiled, "Remind me to kill you myself. I will take great pleasure in ending your thieving and taking your master to use as the pavement on my own path."

"Of course. It would be a pity if I didn't get the chance plunder your storehouse."

Saber was growing more and more annoyed at this. Not the repeated, perhaps unintentional brushing her off, but the simple matter of, "That is not fitting of how a true king should behave."

Marrok could almost feel Archer scoffing even though he didn't so much as twitch. He only looked at her disdainfully.

Rider was more vocal, "Oh? Let's hear it then. What would your wish on the Grail be?"

"I will wish for the salvation of my homeland. With the omnipotent wish-granter I will avert Britain's destruction."

Iskandar seemed disappointed, maybe even a little angry, "King of Knights did you just say that you would change fate? Are you telling me you want to change events that have long passed?"

"Indeed. Even if it is not something a miracle could do, surely the Grail could do such a thing."

Archer started chuckling. Marrok nearly tried to take his head off but stopped himself.

Rider was the one to speak up,"Um, Saber. Just so I am clear on this, it was back during your time that this country you call Britain was conquered and fell? When it was under your rule?"

"Correct. That is why I cannot allow it. Why I regret it. Why I must alter that outcome. It was my mistakes and no one elses that was to blame."

Archer started outright laughing, so Saber had to physically stop Marrok herself this time.

"Archer. What's so amusing?"

"You call yourself a king... and are praised by all as such? Hahaha, and yet you feel regret? HAHAHA! How could I not laugh at such nonsense!"

Rider was more gentle, "Saber, surely you do not mean you would erase the marks that you yourself have made on history?"

"I do. What of it?" Saber pressed, angry, "My beloved country, to which I dedicated my entire life, was destroyed. Why is my sadness about that strange?"

Archer was not gentle at all, laughing hysterically. Marrok wanted so badly to kill him, "Did you hear that Rider? Did you hear what this little girl that cal-"

Marrok was on him, hands around his collar, surprisingly fast. Murder was in his eyes, fangs were nearly erupting from mouth. It looked as if he might rip Archer in two bare handed. If looks could kill the blast radius of Marrok's would be visible from orbit, "Finish that sentence! Finish that sentence so I have cause to jam the corpse of the master you left to die through your eye sockets and floss your empty skull with it!"

"Unhand me you filth! Unless you want this to erupt into a battlefield!"

"I'll-"

Saber shouted, "Put him down. I want to hear this."

Marrok dropped him right away, and they separated peacefully.

"I want to hear what's so humorous about this. A true king devotes himself to serving his country. No sacrifice should be too great."

Iskandar shook his head, "You are wrong, Saber. It is the country that should serve and sacrifice for the king. You have the very idea of a king reversed."

"I what? Those are the words of a tyrant!"

"Just so. We are heroes precisely because we are tyrants. However, if a king regrets his rule, or the manner in which it ended, he is worse than a tyrant he is a fool."

"Iskandar, your reign ended with all your heirs slain and your great empire broken up in civil war. Do you mean to say you have no regrets about that end?  
"None at all. Not if it was wrought from my own actions and the considerable sacrifices of my many retainers. It was inevitable. I shall mourn it, shed tears over it, but I will never regret it."

"But you-"

"Let alone undo it all! To do so would be an insufferable insult to all those that fought and bled and died alongside me!"

Marrok started to reject the notion, but Saber interjected, "Only a warrior finds glory in destruction. Useless is a king that fails to protect the weak! A just rule governed by just laws is the responsibility of a true king."

"So you, the ruler of your realm, area slave to what is right?"

"Of course. Kings are martyrs to their ideals."

Marrok was conflicted there.

Rider looked sad, "That is not the way a person should live."

"I am king. I must live for my people. Whether I am a person or not is secondary. You could never understand, you became a king to satisfy your own greed."

Iskandar threw his cup aside in sudden fury, "A king without greed is even worse than a figurehead!" he calmed, "Saber... in life you must have been truly pure and noble. On the level of a saint. A valiant figure at the very least. But who can truly admire the rough and thorny path a martyr must take in life? Who actually dreams of such an ending? A king... a king must be greedier than any other, he must laugh more loudly, and rage for much longer. He must embody the extremes in all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy his very existence and adore him as well. That is why the flames of aspiration to be just as the king is can burn within people. Proud kind of chivalry, surely your ideals saved your kingdom once. However, surely you know what became of those you saved but then were left to fend for themselves."

"What are you saying?"

"You saved them but you never lead them. You abandoned your men when they lost their way and-"

A sword was pointed at Iskandar's face. Marrok's, "How about silence your ignorant mouth before I take your head and shove it up Archer's ass so the two of you can have a face to face conversation?"

"Marrok-" Saber tried to call him back.

"No.:." Marrok replied, resolute rather than enraged, "This must be said because he insults not only my king but every man, woman, and child that bled for you! You know nothing, Iskandar! Who dreams of being a noble knight that puts other before themselves and does the right thing, protecting the weak, living for ideals that might not work in a cruel world but still fighting so that there might be a world that it does work in? Who?"

He looked at the crowd, "SHOW OF HANDS!"

Sakura raised hers right away, and soon after, though Waver last, every human there had. And Marrok too.

"Iskandar, I don't know if you noticed. God knows she hasn't," Marrok turned and point at Saber, "but that's the ideal every human being on earth regards as the right path, the way things should be. The path of the conqueror? There are plenty, and people do dream of being able to take what they please and make all the rules, other people's opinions be damned. But you know what? The people, no matter how much it favors the greedy conquerors of the world, at the end of the day that behavior is something mankind as a whole wishes it could be free off, wishes they could be King Arthur. Don't you spit on chivalry, on Camelot. Her kingdom never died. It lives in the hearts of every man woman and child in the world. The Britain of today prides itself in being a remnant of what she built. The two of you? Nobody fucking gives a shit!"

Marrok was so incensed, so passionate, nobody could do anything but gawk, "Never lead us? Abandoned us? Never cut a figure we envied and wanted to be? Every single one of my brothers in the Knights of the Round lived every moment trying to live up to her! Don't you dare act like we didn't just because we fell to the same fate as your retainers! You say regretting that we suffered and wanting to save us from it is spitting on us? You spit on us!"

It was then that Marrok did something quite unbelievable, he spat straight in Iskandar's face.

"I'LL-" noticing his clothes tearing and claws forming on his hands he doubled over, trying to retain reason, "no... mustn't let..."

Saber rushed to her knight's side, "Marrok! Don't lose control! You're better than that damn madness enhancement!"

Iskandar wiped the spit from his face and stared it disbelievingly for a second. The crowd thought he would be even angrier than he had gotten at Saber, but instead he laughed heartily at what had just happened.

"Well. I stand corrected. You make a strong case. Perhaps you lead them after all, Saber. I apologize."

Marrok started breathing more heavily but the situation defusing help reign the madness in.

Iskandar smiled even harder at that, "So many people I look forward to testing myself against. I suppose our desires for the grail are each too strong to simply surrender to someone else. Though it seems one of us has an unfair advantage in that regard."

Archer seethed, "This entire evening was pointless. It only managed to sour my mood for drink. I am..." all of the servants tensed, "Surrounded."

In that moment, at least a hundred Assassins appeared, all over the nearby roofs and dotting the vast garden.

Kariya was not amused, "Again! How many servants in this war can make armies?"

Rider sighed, "Sadly, the drinking party is over. Now, I would rather not spill blood on my host's property, but if you insist I will answer accordingly."

The Assassins bantered back but Marrok simply ignored them.

He stood up, drawing Secace as he stepped forward weakly, "You are a guest. It would be rude of me to not handle this. I am the king's retainer."

Maiya walked the short distance to him and placed a hand on Secace's grip, which of course made their hands overlap. Saber noticed that with an awkward feeling she hadn't known before but let her speak, "These are mere assassins, beneath a retainer. Allow your assassin to handle this. Let me make up for the last time I used this on their master."

Marrok surrendered the sword, "Quick pointers, don't use all of the speed you get right away. Ramp up since you don't have practice. You'll get a lot since you'll be outnumbered."

"Noted."

"Also, the trick I can't use for cheating the one on one rule in this case is to kill the last few all at once so they never get on even ground."

"Ah... that's quite malicious."

"I know. Thankfully you aren't limited by my origin as much as I am. Go get rid off the trash."

Iskandar watched with great interest at the Noble Phantasm that was shared, and quickly noted that he could not use his own trump card against Marrok if he had that weapon. Regardless, he was confident he could win with just the mounts that qualified him for Rider. Those didn't count as separate things if he was riding them. However, there was another issue as Maiya ran roughshod through the helpless Assassins that had been countered very hard.

"I suppose I don't get to have any fun tonight." He pouted.

And another issue the Kariya pointed out as he came over, making sure Archer couldn't hear, "Won't this free up a master for Archer to contract with? We can't let him leave."

Saber shook her head, "He's a guest. We can always just defeat him normally. I won't demean myself even though I hate him fiercely."

"Kiritsugu would tell you to kill him if he was here."

Marrok spoke up, "You heard her. We shouldn't. We can get him later."

Kariya gritted his teeth angrily and leaned in, "We go after him the moment he's far enough clear of the castle. We need to settle this as soon as possible. I want Tokiomi's servant gone. Understood?"

Marrok nodded. He didn't like going behind Artoria's back like this, but his master was right. Doing this was better in the long run.

It was a trifling matter for the empowered Maiya to finish Assassin, dropping the number of servants to four. The Grail War was inching ever closer to the end. Marrok glanced at the nearly full moon and thought that with one more going out in the same night he might make it in time to keep Sakura from permanently changing into a werewolf. Not likely though. The full moon was the night after next. The thought was pushed out of his mind when Irisviel sat on a bench suddenly and grabbed her head, nearly passing out.

It seemed that soon, many things might be ending.

Next Chapter: Three Remain

Author's Note: In addition to the insinuation that a servant dies next chapter, the previously mentioned full moon scene I mentioned I was super hyped about is within three chapters. We've hit the final arc of this Grail War folks and we're building to the climax now. Don't worry. The end isn't within three chapters. Just the full moon scene. Which will be freakin' great. Trust me, my hype is off the charts in anticipation of finally getting there.


	15. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Time for an out of place and brief comedic self-cameo? I think so. I'm not actually an office worker, but give me this. I wanted a fun way to slip in some music to lighten the mood. Onwards! To weirdly placed references to the movie 'White Girls' and deathmatches between heroes of legend.

Chapter Fourteen: Three Remain

It had grown so late that it was growing ever closer to instead being early morning. The streets were practically empty as a lone salary man, a foreign transfer from his company's branch office, sat in his car and slid a pair of headphones on his shaven head, adjusted his glasses and scratched his short beard as if it would shake out the stress of a really late night at the office. He took a deep breath and pressed a button on his phone. It was time for his nightly cleansing ritual.

As they made their way downtown, walking fast because Archer was home bound, Berserker was briefly distracted by his keen hearing picking up Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles' and tracing it back to some foreigner lip syncing in his car with far too much enthusiasm.

"Your era is strange sometimes, Kariya."

"Focus Marrok. Look. He's-"

"Just down the street the other direction,I know. I can hear his weight shifting in his armor as he waits for us." Marrok turned, and Gilgamesh was standing right in the middle of the empty street a few blocks down somehow not spotted by the radio guy, "It seems he expected this. Be careful. Assassin's master may be nearby. It makes no sense that he just threw Assassin in the garbage like that unless he thought he could quickly trade up."

"All the more reason to take him down now. I don't think he's had time to make a new contract."

"It doesn't seem so, but this might not be easy. Unlike most servants, Archers can go days without a master." Marrok walked forward, "You may want to keep a fair distance. Nearly all weapons of legend are said to have been handed down from the weapons in his arsenal. This could be messy."

"Right. This is as good a time as any." Kariya thrust his command seal hand at Marrok, "By the power of my command seal, I order you to kill Archer."

A red glow surrounded Marrok as the command seal powered him up, "Thank you. Conserve the last one for a last resort. You wasted the last one so if you lose it-"

"I know. No comfy scapegoat if I survive a fight and you don't. I'll have lost my right as a master."

"You have nothing to fear from me in that regard master. I have no intention of losing and I wouldn't betray you... though the moon will be full soon. I'm not sure how the werewolf legend will affect me at it's apex. Better safe than sorry."

"Enough words. It's time to settle this."

Marrok nodded and walked forward drawing his longsword. When he got close, he invoked its name, "Archer, you face Cavall, Fang of the King's Hound."

"Hmph, a blade that always takes something when it cuts. I have four variations of that. All boring. What's so special about a sword that cuts?"

Marrok charged, dodging two swords and hooking a third with the tip of his blade so that its flight changed and flew into another and deflected it. He managed to get within striking distance of Archer this time, though his attack was deflected by another launched sword and he took another straight to the chest that sent him flying into the air, where he quickly recovered his bearings and parried three more attacks before a fourth hit him and exploded mana like a grenade, launching him two entire blocks and into the car right behind the still jamming radio guy, who somehow didn't notice a knight slamming into the roof of the car behind him as the chorus of the song hit. Or that knight transform into a partially bipedal wolf-man hybrid that punched each fist into the roof of the car to help him stand before rushing back up the street and retrieving his dropped sword in time to block a storm of six blades with his now much higher speed.

A blue light surrounded Marrok as he invoked his disdainful second Noble Phantasm, "Curse of Lycanthropy!"

His statistics increased as he allowed the misplaced legend he was saddled with fill him with the power of the third most famous legendary monster. Unlike the ability would have been at the shipyard, the moon was nearly full. All present acknowledged that short of it being the full moon this was the best chance Marrok had of beating Archer. By then though Archer would have acquired a new mater and balanced out the difference in theory.

The wolf knight howled, a small amount of drool flying from his mouth as he snarled and parried, trying to maintain the balance between the knight and the madness his unleashed beast form and the moon was forcing on him. The resistance of his two sides fighting each other would prove limiting. The very ability that was even giving such a little known hero a chance in hell was proving also the thing holding him back.

Three blades unparried went straight into Marrok's chest.

Archer chuckled, "Where's that grace with a blade, 'knight'?"

Marrok simply pulled the swords out as if they were nothing and they proved to be. None of them were holy or silver. At this lunar phase such things were nearly pointless. The wounds healing so fast they practically vanished, and Kariya didn't feel any extra drain than what the phantasm was causing. Which wasn't small, but it was manageable for now. Marrok threw aside Cavall and readied himself for a more bestial approach.

Another two swords hit their target very precisely before Marrok could even step forward. One straight in the heart, and other straight in the forehead. Marrok simply growled, stepping forward and ignoring them. To prove a point he simply healed the blades out of his body and let them fall behind him. He kept walking. A flurry of blades came straight from Archer to him, not smelling of silver or divinity. So Marrok simply walked straight into them, twisting his body to deflect a few with blades that were impaling him as they healed out of his body. He even simply tanked several more explosions that would have previously sent him flying. Such was the power of the werewolf legend with a nearly full moon. Kariya was in awe. Without some means to overwhelm the conditions of a werewolf's magical defenses, some servants might find this little known knight, a simple retainer to a king, completely unstoppable. Kariya doubted even Saber, as close range as she seemed, could stand a chance without the benefit of her holy sword's magic.

Down the street, the oblivious radio guy started his car and drove away, still enjoying his music.

Back at the ruined estate, Sakura had brought Irisviel another cup of tea, "Are you feeling okay, Auntie Iri?"

Iri smiled, "Yes, Sakura, I'm fine. I'm not feeling very well, but it's nothing you need to worry about. I'm okay."

Maiya glanced at Secace at her hip, "You fell ill the moment I slew Assassin."

Saber nodded, "Exactly, what is the meaning of this, Mrs. Iri. I don't like being kept out of the loop on this."

Iri frowned, looking back at Sakura, "Sakura, could you play in the other room?"

Sakura stood resolute, "No. I don't like being kept out of the loop either. You can tell me. I have been through more than you think, Auntie Iri. I can handle bad news."

Iri patted the brave girl on the head and the addressed the group, "You might have noticed I'm not exactly human. I'm a homunculus made by the Einzbern family to serve as the perfect vessel for the Holy Grail."

Saber was stunned, "What? What does that entail?"

"Each time a servant dies the Grail becomes more whole. Before the Grail war ends I will need to go to the shrine set up for the grail in the civic center, where I will become a part of the grail to allow it to take physical form."

"What? What kind of omnipotent cup requires such a thing?"

Iri got a stern expression, "The kind that requires heroes of the past to become familiars and sacrifice themselves in mortal combat to fill it with mana. Only servants can touch the grail normally. It is my role to alleviate that problem."

"What happens to you?"

"I won't exist apart from the Grail once this is all over."

Sakura hugged the woman, tears in her eyes, "No, Auntie Iri! Just run! You don't have to do this!"

Iri smiled, "I have too Sakura, or nobody can get their wish granted. I'm at peace with this."

Maiya frowned, "You said Kiritsugu knows of this?"

"He's known since the beginning. Before we even married. I'm so blessed to have met him. He saw fit to love me even though I was made to be nothing but a tool, gave me a family, made me a person. The least I can do it help him fulfill his wish of saving the world."

Maiya was taken aback at how close to home that struck with her own history, "I understand. Kiritsugu saved me from life as a child soldier and tool for terrible people. He turned me into a force for good, gave me a place. Now... now I have a family as well."

"And you'd give yourself to fulfill their wishes?"

"Without hesitation."

Saber shook her head, "I can't abide by this!"

Iri smiled even more warmly, "Thank you for that, Saber; but aren't we all the same really? You made yourself a tool and sacrificed yourself for those you cared about."

"That's..." that one hit her like a ton of bricks. She was on the other end of that for the first time and now understood how it felt, "I won't stop you, to do so would be hypocritical, but know that I don't want this."

"Would you stop if Marrok said that to you?"

Saber froze, her face falling, "No."

Sakura was sobbing, "Marrok would say to stop! Marrok didn't want me to be other people's tool either! He said I can't live for others if I don't live! He said I should take my kind heart and live how I wanted, and that my light would brighten the world just fine if I did that!"

Iri stroked the little girl's head, "Sakura, this is how I want to live. I'd tell Marrok that right to his face."

As if on cue, both Sakura and Maiya tensed, their gazes moving towards the city at the same time. Like a pack of wolves going on alert.

"What is it?" Saber went on guard at this sight.

Maiya got a grave look on her face, "Something's wrong."

Back at the battle, Marrok was inches from Gilgamesh, his rear leg and the arm he had tried to reach the King of Heroes with both impaled to the asphalt with swords. The path behind him was littered with hundreds of swords, all either dodged, deflected, or healed out of his body. Three more swords came down and drove into his back.

Gilgamesh smirked, "Holy and silver weapons correct? I do not store the second place metal within my treasury but I supposed I could spare a few holy weapons on you, Mongrel"

He placed his hands on one of the swords in Marrok.

"This one is Gram, the sword pulled from the proving tree. Sound familiar, Mongrel?"

He shoved the sword all the way through the wolf-man who cried out in pain and rage. Archer stepped back with a grin and fired another sword straight into Marrok's face, which blasted the knight flying back once again. His two impaled limbs nearly tearing off in the process. He landed horribly on the pommel of Gram, driving the hand guard and even the handle beyond into his back.

"You can't even touch me with me masterless and you enhanced by a command seal. You're nothing! Not even befitting the position of a king's hound!"

When the dust cleared though, the knight was standing somehow. His nature forbid him falling like this while he could even hope to be on his feet. The wounds on his chest from two of the swords healed, but the ones on his limbs were only healing at regular servant speed. Kariya started casting, trying to do what he could to shore up that gap in the ability. It wasn't fast enough though. Marrok couldn't afford to stay still.

The man started hunching more, growling and slobbering as he grabbed Gram by the blade, "Gram was... not... holy!"

Marrok yanked the sword the rest of the way through him by the blade, the handle dragging a massive hole is his chest, but the wolf man howled, uncaring as it simply closed in a matter of seconds.

"Oh. That's right. Pity I cared more for the poetry of it than the practicality. Even the perfect have their vices."

Marrok charged, deflecting four swords with Gram before lifting Cavall as he passed it and wielding both, cutting six more down. He leaped... a sword dragging him back down by the leg and two more swords through his shoulders pinned him once again to the ground as he bellowed in rage. Archer called all the swords on the ground back to him.

"You can have these old things. I don't need them anymore."

In one horrible moment, it rained swords. There was no dodging them all. In the wreckage left of the scene, Marrok forced himself to stand once more, crying out in agony and rage as his body tried to push out at least a dozen minor noble phantasms. None with their names invoked, but they didn't need to be. There was just too many. Marrok fell again with six still in him trying to come out, the fall driving four more into him. Kariya took a knee from the sheer magnitude of the mana drain on him.

It was over. Berserker was defeated. Unconscious, unmoving, and certainly dying in what was nearly a mausoleum of swords. He hadn't even touched Archer once.

Archer strode over to Kariya casually, "I think I have made my case. That decides it then."

Kariya looked at Marrok... he wasn't healing anymore. His noble phantasm had stopped working.

Archer pressed, "Don't mourn him you fool. It's as I said. He can't win you the grail. He left you to die in that building to save your enemy for what? So a little girl wouldn't feel sad? You escaped that building by my graces when you would have died at the hands of his weapon."

"I... gave him a chance."

"That is correct. Annoyingly you even wasted two command seals on him and he could not even touch me."

"The first one... I wanted to make sure he got his wish at least. He did get Sakura out of that hell."

"A gracious master, as befitting the potential I saw in you. He does not deserve it though. He slew your entire family, knaves as they were, poisoned that daughter that should have been yours, and made it very clear he would surrender the grail to his king instead of you and leave you to clean up the mess he has made."

Kariya gritted his teeth, "Yeah... I don't have anything anymore do I? If the mages' association decides to come after me, if Sakura had turned..."

"He would have destroyed her life as well as yours and left you with nothing. He had to die. The full moon is fast approaching."

Kariya started trembling, a distant look in his eyes, "Yeah. If he couldn't win he had to die... I had to protect Sakura. I gave him a chance."

"And as promised I proved myself the better. As per the terms of our agreement I will also prove myself a generous king. Break your contract with that waste of space and form one with me, and I will provide you the future you deserve."

"Sakura will be safe now. I can start a new life."

"Indeed. If you want I'm sure I could even help you acquire that woman you so desire."

Kariya gave Marrok a final look, still unmoving, and turned to Archer.

Minutes later, Marrok was still there, trapped as a half man half wolf, the swords having been called back but the wounds not closing. Not at all. He didn't have enough mana to call upon to stop his bleeding. Only enough to subconsciously hold on far longer than Archer had anticipated when he and his new master left him there to bleed out or fade away.

He started to glow. Not with the light of a servant's death, but with the headlights of a car. A car from which spilled Artoria, Maiya, and (albeit slowly) Irisviel.

"Oh god, Marrok!" his king ran to his side, pointlessly pressing her hands to his wounds, "He's not healing! Irisviel help him he's not healing!"

Maiya turned into a wolf and started sniffing around to discern what had happened as Irisviel knelt beside the dying servant and started using her healing magic. It wasn't working fast enough. It was like Marrok was unraveling as she tried to put him back together.

"Saber, I can't heal him fast enough. He needs to start healing himself too, but he's not getting any mana."

"What happened to Kariya?"

Maiya returned to human form, "If Marrok is not getting mana..."

Saber looked at her wide-eyed, "He's dead?"

Maiya shook her head, "Archer did this and not a single drop of Kariya's blood was spilled here."

Iris looked over, "What are you saying?"

Maiya growled, "He left with Archer. He's betrayed us."

Saber looked down at her knight, "Not like this! Not like this! We were supposed to win the war together! We were supposed to settle this with an friendly duel and then go back and save everyone!"

Iris started tearing up, "Saber, without mana, in this condition..."

"There has to be a way! I'll... I'll." Saber pulled out Excalibur and slit her own wrist, pouring her blood into Marrok's mouth, "Take my mana, dammit! HEAL!"

Irisviel fought back her tears and did what she could. Certainly taking in some of Saber's mana like that would help. She could at least close his wounds. Maybe even, "Maybe I can force him back into human form if we get him enough mana. It won't keep him from fading away, but maybe you can at least say goodbye."

"Irisviel please... there has to be something we can do."

"We'd have to keep him constantly supplied with mana. Enough to replace a master. The best we can do is give him some time to make peace."

Saber paused as her blood continued to flow, something dawning on her, "'Replace a master'?"

Artoria looked down at Irisviel's single command seal. It was contracted to Saber, but maybe... just maybe.

Irisviel with some help from the blood finally gathered enough mana to force the change, and sat back, taking a deep, tired breath, "There. He has a hour or two at best. I'm sorry, Saber. I'm so sorry."

"Irisviel."

"Yes?"

"I have an idea."

Next Chapter: The Long Night

Author's Note: Plot twist! Rather than twisting Kirei into betraying Tokiomi in the background of the war, Archer twisted Kariya against Marrok. Kariya is now Archers master and Marrok is on his death bed. Artoria's got a plan though. I have a pair of days off coming up soon, so look forward to more faster than normal updates like this one as we near the end of the war and that promised to be epic full moon scene. Can Kariya be redeemed? What is Saber's plan and what will the consequences be? Will 'radio guy' also get a day off like me? All these questions will be answered soon. In the meantime, if you review this chapter please be careful and avoid spoiling this turn of events.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: The Long Night

A short time later they had laid Marrok down in one of the few untouched rooms left in the castle on the queen-sized bed it contained. It was fortunate that the castle had been built with the safety of the living quarters in mind. The group had yet to be informed of the location of the new base they were supposed to be transferring to later in the day. It was just hitting day, but it might as well have still been night for all the time outside they would likely be able to avoid themselves while trying to save Marrok. Thankfully, they had been able to convince Sakura that he was just badly hurt. Saber had insisted they not break the news yet, for she had no intention of letting him die yet.

"This is reckless, Saber. We don't have any idea if this will work or what it will do. You could be forced off of all of Kiri's command seals, not just this one."

"It's worth the risk. I'm not letting him die to treason if there's anything I can do to save him."

"Putting him on my command seal though? I'm not even completely sure how one would get another servant onto the same pact. I mean, since I'm not technically the master the pact is with we might be able to bend it a little."

"Please, there has to be a way."

Irisviel thought, "We'll need to get him access to the connection between you and the command seal and work from there. However, there's only one way I can think of to do that and I'm not sure if you'd be willing."

"Anything."

"The ritual for mana transference slightly destabilizes the servant involved and forms a deep connection with the partner. I've never heard of it done between servants but the mechanics of it don't prohibit it."

Saber looked a little confused, "That sounds perfect, why wouldn't I-"

"It involves having sex. You would need to have sex with Marrok. Are you okay with that? I don't know how that talk the two of you went..."

Saber blushed, looked at Marrok before turning an uncomfortable glance back to Iri, "I won't kill my knight by being prudish."

"I'll do my best to make sure both of you can stay in the contract. At minimum try to keep Marrok on just my command seal. If you can't share the contract though, it would mean you have to go through him to win."

"I assumed I would anyway."

"You mentioned him coming back with you. If Marrok is ended in this war, there's no guarantee the grail can do the same miracle for both of you. Especially considering this Marrok will be part of the mana needed to complete it"

Saber frowned, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Alright. If you're sure, I'll need you to start getting undressed.'

Saber blushed, but stood, untying her hair first. As her hair dropped she looked at the makeshift ribbon she'd gotten from Marrok. Like the situation it was now sullied by Marrok's blood that had been on her hands.

Iri noticed the state of her, and motioned to the adjoined room, you can clean yourself up first in you like. There's a washroom over there. I'll help Maiya undress Marrok.

Saber's view jolted up, "You shouldn't. Remember, in his servant form his transformation is tied to clothing. He'll change."

"Right, we'll just have to do this with most of his clothing still on then."

 **LEMON (AKA SEX SCENE) WARNING! Skip to the other bold lettering to skip H-Scene.**

Saber retreated into the washroom, stripping off her jacket, tie, and business shirt. She wasn't endowed enough to require a bra, but it was still impossible to mistake her for a man with her bosom laid bare as it was. She slid the pants of her suit and her underwear down her slender hips in one go, revealing a toned and shapely rear. She looked self-consciously at her many muscles but it was just shyness, her form was fine. Smooth, soft but tone, and flawless, an elegance that begged to be caressed and loved. She stepped into the shower just long enough to wash the blood from herself, and to take a moment to ready herself mentally. Then dried her body and hair before stepping back into the other room.

Iri smiled, "You are beautiful Saber."

Maiya nodded without saying anything.

Saber hid her body with her hands, and noticed Maiya 'preparing' Marrok with no expression on her face. It was clinical, but the sight (both of her doing that with her hand and what she was doing 'that' to) naturally made her uncomfortable, "Is it really necessary for her to do that?"

Iri looked apologetic, "I didn't think you'd be comfortable with it. Plus I need you to do something else... something more embarrassing."

Saber fidgeted, "W-what?"

"This ritual requires the exchange of fluids. So he needs to take in some of yours... from down there."

Saber flushed red, "I- I um... don't know what that entails."

Iri turned to Maiya, "Maiya, could you please help her? I don't feel comfortable engaging more than I have to in this."

"Yes, of course." Maiya strolled over to Artoria and gently grabbed her arm, leading her over to the head of the bed, "You will need to sit across his face."

"W-what?"

"Please. It is embarrassing but it is for his sake. I can't do this for you. I can help if you need me too."

"That won't be necessary." Artoria swallowed hard and straddled Marrok's face.

"Now you will need to stimulate yourself."

"Stimulate?!"

Maiya took Artoria's hand and guided it down. Saber jerked her hand back. So instead Maiya moved her own hand where it needed to go and started doing what needed to be done, causing Saber to jump, "If you require assistance I will provide."

"N-no. I don't n-need assistance thank you."

Maiya got the slightest, but very wolf-like grin on her face as her hands went artistically to work, "I do not see you doing it yourself. So I shall continue."

On that she nibbled on Saber's ear, causing her to release what was almost a squeak. Irisviel weaved some magic and tried not to get distracted at the escapades in front of her. She also hoped the mana Marrok was being provided didn't wake Marrok up, as he would certainly flip out at what nonsense was going on right then.

Especially considering Maiya's wolf-like nature was growing too excited and the woman had unbuttoned her own shirt and unclasped her bra, baring her more ample breasts to Saber's shock.

"W-what are you doing?"

Maiya intensified her 'assisting' of Saber with one hand, "You need to be as unstable as possible for this to work, my lady. Forgive my curtness."

Maiya took Saber's hand gently, and put it into her own pants, guiding it into forbidden places.

"If your hands are free... we should escalate your unease to advance the process."

Saber just obliged, perhaps caught up in the heat of the moment or just wanting to get his weirdness over with, she wasn't totally sure herself. It was not long though before Artoria's body rocked as a jolt of pleasure shot through it, causing her to convulse. Maiya grinned a predatory grin and moved down Marrok's body, taking that part of him in her hand again and again assisting with the process to come.

"It's time for the next part is it not, Irisviel?"

Iri swallowed hard, trying her best to not to get too into the eroticism she was witnessing. She must certainly should not join in. It would make forming the contract easier... but she wasn't comfortable with that. That was to much, "Y-yes."

"I will ready his penis for you then, my king." it was then that Maiya added her mouth to the equation. Slowly at first, then more intensely. All the time looking tauntingly at Saber, as if claiming territory.

Artoria crawled down the bed, growing frustrated at this she-wolf's teasing. It was almost like she was challenging her, "I don't need your assistance, Maiya."

Maiya sat up, "Oh? Would you like to do it yourself this time? Come then."

Saber reluctantly placed her hand there and set to the task clumsily, Maiya gently taking her hand and guiding it to help refine her technique.

Maiya found herself a little insulted though, as while she had done well, Marrok seemed to instinctively react more to Artoria's touch than hers. "He should be ready now."

Artoria hesitated, nervous.

So Maiya challenged her, "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Artoria glared, fire in her eyes, "No, certainly not."

On that note, Artoria mounted Marrok's waist and prepared to give herself to him.

Maiya warned, "Slowly. Don't just charge in."

With that advice in mind, Artoria began. There was a rush of pain and pleasure as the pair of servants connected, Maiya advising her on how to continue once she gathered herself again. Soon she lost herself in the rocking motion as it started feeling less painful and more pleasurable. The main body of the ritual was underway, and Saber could feel her mind fading away into pleasure and her conscious intruding upon her sexual partner's as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply on the mouth. The mana transference had begun.

 **LEMON (AKA SEX SCENE) OVER! It is no safe to read until you see another warning.**

Her mind fading into the past during the throes of the ritual, Artoria found herself in the woods, running at high speed. Her heart was pounding heavily in fear as she weaved through the trees, the sound of hooves gaining on her. Suddenly, out of a dense clump of foliage erupted a man in black armor on horseback wielding a spear.

 _Sir Agravain?_

Not in control of her body she cut her speed slightly and darted under the leaping horse, catching the knight completely off guard. The thought crossed her mind that she could hamstring the horse right then and down the rider, butt it was dismissed. There was no need to hurt these knights. They just thought he was some dangerous beast.

He? These knights? Why had she briefly not known them? They were her knights. Artoria tried to shake her head clear but she couldn't. However, when the rear hoof came down on her tail thanks to the hesitation, she yelped in pain before the hoof lifted and she was free. It was then that Artoria finally pieced what was happening together. She was seeing Marrok's past. This was when she first met him. Despite the miscalculation it took another ten minutes of chase to catch the wolf. Even then it was only because Artoria had charged ahead and come very close to stabbing the beast with a hunting spear, but the wolf had grabbed it and yanked it.

At the time, the other knights were dismayed when they saw their king fall from his horse and more so when the wolf stopped and approached him. Since Artoria was in his head, she discovered what she had suspected was true: he hadn't intended to dismount her and was concerned. It got him caught though, the other knights encircling the wolf and trying to force him back with spears. The wolf refused to not sniff at Arthur though, but once he confirmed there was no blood he backed off, whining.

It was strange seeing herself from the outside, raising her hand, "Wait a moment! He had me dead to rights there. If he had wanted he could have rushed me and killed me before any of you reached me!"

"Sir, he just tore you from your horse!"

Marrok lowered his body and inched forward. The knights tensed, but Artoria ordered them to ease back and wait to see what it would do. It continued forward and stopped outside biting rage but well within range of her spear, raising his haunches a little She lifted it and drew closer, and the wolf only whined when she tested it with small motions at him.

Agravain found this curious, "Is it begging for its life?"

Galahad noted, "Look closer. With it's hindquarters raised like that it looks almost like the wolf is bowing to the king."

The Artoria of then enjoyed the idea that a wild animal respected her kingship. She took one hand, a fateful hand, off her spear and reached out, palm up to indicate she would not pose a threat. Then when she neared his head, the king let the wolf sniff her palm. Which the wolf proceeded to lick and nuzzle. Saber could read the thoughts going through his head, as he was desperate to convey he was her loyal subject. He knew there was no telling her he was a nobleman in her kingdom before his wife's then recent betrayal, but he could at least convey this. Though he was shocked that everyone had referred to such a beautiful human girl as a man.

The king laughed, much to the shock of all her knights, who had never heard their king laugh in such an innocent way. Or any way really, "I do not think this is the man eater we are looking for, unless he ate them with its tongue. I think I shall keep it and train it."

Agravain walked his horse closer, "Sire, are you-"

The wolf promptly weaved around Artoria and growled at Agravain, as if protecting the king from him. He clearly held a grudge over the horse thing. Though the two would later actually get along fairly well.

Galahad chuckled, "Agravain, I don't think that wolf likes you very much."

The knight in question walked his horse back a bit, and the wolf immediately sat next to Arthur and relaxed completely. Artoria stroked his head.

"I supposed it is settled then."

Lancelot spoke up, finding something quite odd, "Isn't that wolf larger than it was a moment ago?"

Saber suddenly felt herself fall out of the memory and into darkness. When she found her footing again, she was in a cave. Looking down, she found that she had no body at all, not even Marrok's. What was this? There was one passage, beyond which she could hear the rattling of chains. Behind her was another way, but collapsed. So, forward she went towards the sound.

The sight that awaited her a the other end was astounding, a chamber bigger perhaps than the entire castle she had been staying in during the Holy Grail War, but more mind boggling were the chains, easily as thick as the torso of a horse, all leading to a single, ungodly huge wolf. Runes covered the things shoulders, head, and paws and all save a ribbon wrapped around its neck every limb was bound in the enormous chains. The wolf, easily as large as a dragon, exuded anger and power, and loneliness.

"What are you?" Saber was shocked when her voice actually came out.

The wolf moved its eye, because it could not move its head from how extensively it was bound to the spot, "Ah, a dragon visits. How nice. I never thought to share my chamber with another again."

"What is going on? This cannot be one of Marrok's memories. No creature like you exists in this world."

"Ha. Look again. Surely the Grail has supplied you with knowledge of other regions' tales?"

Artoria looked over the wolf again, stopping on the most out of place detail. The ribbon, "The Fenris wolf? Why is a demigod of Norse legend within Marrok?"

The wolf chuckled, "I am not. I am simply a representation of his innermost being. I imagine if he is within your mind he is seeing a famous dragon whose story you have come across in your time."

"What does this mean? That an avatar of the end of the world represents Marrok? I don't believe you."

"Does a famed dragon represent you? Nay. Though you share its blood and Marrok shares mine. For I am the father of all wolves. My fate is the fate of all my bloodline. To be born, to live among man, to be chained down, and used as entertainment by those who fear my fang. Even now, Marrok's chain has been yanked, his neck bloodied."

Fenrir jostled in momentary anger, causing one of the chains hanging from him to slide around, revealing itself to have already been broken before Artoria arrived.

"Even you are no different. You thought, just now, what it means if I, something this terrible within him, breaks all of these chains."

"I was not. I trust Marrok!"

"Lies! Mankind can never think of us as anything but toys and playthings! Your mythology is littered with tales of wolves as the embodiment of all evil. Even the gods of man are no different. I did nothing but serve among them with honor as their hunting dog. When prophecy of their fall loomed, they cast the blame on me and made a game of binding me in hell!"

"Marrok is not just a toy to me! He never has been!"

"Yet when he crippled the knight that betrayed him, you were not the one to come to his defense, you raised a club to strike him."

Saber paused, gritting her teeth at the memory.

"Your first instinct was that he had gone mad. That he was just a beast!"

"NO! I was trying to protect one of my knights!"

"Marrok was not one of your knights? Even after all the work he did, the good he did, the times you shared... he was just a misbehaving dog to chain and strike!"

"NO! That's not true! I hesitated! I had stopped!"

"Would you have kept going if Merlin hadn't spoke up?"

Saber's mind was assailed by the look of betrayal on the Marrok's face at the sight of the raised club. It was like being impaled on a pike from heel to crown. She then recalled how the blood soaked wolf had lowered his body to the ground with raised haunches as if bowing.

Fenrir sneered, "More chains. Should I wake him in the world of the living and show you what he is like when he is reduced only to instinct? In his current state, he'll be down to the most basic building blocks of what he is. Are you afraid?"

Saber's mind was puled back to the intimate physical connection between her and Marrok, she didn't notice that Irisviel and Maiya had both stepped out to let the ritual play out, and perhaps give them some privacy for it. Trying to compose herself in the waves of pleasure coursing through her again, she stopped and looked down at her partner.

His eyes opened, his breathing course. He was conscious, but barely. The wolf-knight growled and rolled her beneath him, his eyes fierce with predatory lust and longing. They were the eyes a wolf that was about to tear prey to pieces. Saber's heart skipped, fear coursing through her veins. Right after though she took a breath and realized that even while not capable of reason, her knight was waiting.

She opened her arms, leaving her body exposed, and smiled, "Marrok..."

Even as hungrily as he proceeded, as much zeal, and strength as he proceeded with, even without his wits about him. Sir Marrok's actions were in service to his king. The waves of ecstasy from this new, even more intense bond were almost too much for Artoria to take, and he mind was driven back into the past.

Saber found herself watching herself discussing Marrok with Merlin in his workshop. Her brain, or rather Marrok's brain, was overloaded with thoughts of the recent events though. Mostly of his king's actions over the course of his two outbursts. Saber got his take on the scene with the club. The rage that had been coursing through him halted barely by the command from his king to stop, then the heartbreak when he saw his king not understanding him. Then however, a strange feeling pulsing through him when Artoria's raised arm relaxed, her expression conflicted and pained. She had stopped herself before Merlin had said a word, considering Marrok's actions herself rather than striking him. Sure she was hesitant to not punish the attack and continue trusting Marrok, but it was clear she _wanted_ to. As he sat in the workshop barely hearing what was being said, he was trying to figure out what that strange new rush of feeling was. It had not been there before.

Saber realized that was when Marrok had started falling in love with her as Marrok played the events of the past few days over and over in his mind. The taking of Marrok to his treacherous wife, Artoria questioning her and then ordering Marrok brought in.

"If it was just a random attack as you say, he shouldn't care about you. He's been totally calm since then."

At the sight of former wife, Marrok had become immediately enraged and charged her.

"NO! PLEASE! He's a demon! A skinwalker! He's haunted my famil-"

Artoria simply let Marrok have the woman, who finally spoke of the truth, that 'Cavall' was her former husband, and how she had betrayed the man, though leaving out her other crimes. By the time they got Marrok to stop, her face was practically gone. The king had her healed, though her face was too far gone, and had banished her and her latest husband from the kingdom.

The king had also patted his head, "If that's the case, let us see if Merlin can help. If he can give you a new human form, I will make sure to right this wrong she has inflicted upon you."

In the lab, Marrok wagged his tail at the memory.

Merlin went over to one of his boxes and started unlocking it, "I've suspected something like that was the case. After all, like I have said only humans, demons, and phantasmal beasts can have sorcery traits, and he is not any of those. Plus, though I gathered he was demon-touched, that trait isn't one a demon can have. It stands to reason he could have developed one while he was human."

"The last lord of that land was a generous and good man from what I gather. If that was Cavall before the treason then his behavior in this form makes sense."

Merlin looked back at the king as he opened the box, "Let me reiterate, Cavall is actually a wolf. He somehow awakened to his origin, which probably made him very intelligent, and then somehow gained the powers of a demon; but he is still a wolf."

"He lived as a man quite well it seems. I would prefer such a noble creature choose which form he wishes to live in. He deserves it."

Marrok proceeded to have a tense feeling in his chest and a dumb, pleased with himself look on his still canine face.

Merlin grinned at that and reached into the box, pulling out what amounted to a man-suit, he then lied, "Fortunately I was working on constructing a homunculus for manual labor, the skin is done and should pass enough as a real skin to function as a body."

Merlin strode over to Marrok and set it in front of him, an oddly convenient opening in the back that Marrok could easily fit in. The wolf looked at the skin, then looked at Artoria, then proceeded to drag the skin into the next room.

The king was confused, "Where is he taking that?"

Merlin chuckled, "I think I might have neglected to consider modesty. He likely doesn't want to change in front of you."

"Why not?"

A male voice that was pleasing to Artoria's ears even when she first heard it, came from the next room, "Lord Merlin, do you have any clothes by chance?"

Merlin laughed, "Yes, I apologize. I have a pair of pants here at least."

The mage went int the next room and handed over the clothing.

"Well, you fill out that body well. It suits you I think. It's as if it were made for you."

Merlin came out a moment later with a tall, athletically built man that was neither outright handsome or ugly, but closer to the former. His hair was similar in color to the darkest parts of his fur as a wolf. He had a look and way of moving that seemed humble but confident. That you could be comfortable around but still admire. At the sight of him, Artoria swallowed hard, biting back a response she had long thought squashed after assembling so many Knights of the Round that were ludicrously handsome. There was something about this look though that disarmed that defense. In the moment she assumed that he just looked like someone you could relax around, but knowing Merlin, it was probably intentional.

Years after the Fourth Grail War, Saber would figure out Merlin's lie, and that he had in fact built Marrok's new human form very specifically. He was 'her type'.

Saber found herself forward in time, looking at a familiar armored figure that made her recoil instinctively. Mordred. This was not the Battle of Camlann however, and they weren't even sparing. Marrok was healing the knight's wounds.

"I thought I taught you how to do this yourself?"

"Agh... I don't have any talent for that stuff so just do it for me!"

Marrok reached out and flicked her helmet, which rang much to Mordred's chagrin.

"Ow! Why do you always do that, you freakin' mutt?"

"Keep giving up on things that are hard but worth doing and you'll suffer worse pain than that."

"What difference does it make if I can heal myself? We have so many healers!"

"That's why you still have a long way to go before you are truly a knight."

Mordred growled.

"A knight's duty is to protect his lands and his people. You are supposed to be a hero. What will you do, Pup, when one of the people you save is dying in front of you and you are the only one there?"

Mordred grumbled, "I dunno. Fail to heal them I guess?"

"All because you gave up because it was hard." Marrok lectured, "And what if the person dying in front of you is Arthur?"

Mordred let out a quiet, pained noise. Marrok proceeded to flick her helmet again. "Agh! Stop that, you stupid dog! I'll gut you one of these days when you try that shit!"

"I should be careful then, because a hot-headed puppy like you won't be able to heal me."

Mordred took a swing at the man, who ducked it and grabbed the offending arm, shoulder throwing the heavily armored knight. It was strange, Saber had never known they interacted enough to be this close, but there was very much a mentor and student vibe between them, and Marrok was fond of him. In fact...

"You are also very light by the way. You should eat more if you are going to refuse to take off that armor. You'll melt away, little girl."

Saber's mind was intruded upon by another memory as Mordred charged from the ground at Marrok in annoyance. It overlapped and changed into the same knight charging Marrok on a battlefield.

"I'll kill you if I have to, King's Hound!"

Their swords clashed.

"Don't make me! Join me! Arthur isn't worthy of the throne!"

"I won't let some rabid pup bite the hand that fed it!"

Mordred shoved the knight away, furious, "STOP CALLING ME A PUP!"

Marrok slashed at the traitor knight with Secace as she charged again, managing a small wound on her hand, "You won't listen! No matter what I tried to teach you... have you learned none of it? This is the wrong path!"

Marrok easily disarmed the less skilled swordsman and threw her to the ground. Without the benefit of her great strength and speed over most knights, her barbaric sword-style was no match for a refined swordsman. Mordred was done, her helmet flying off and as Marrok loomed over her ready to plunge his sword down and finish her, he hesitated. Not because she looked so much like Arthur, but because for a moment, in Mordred's sorrowful and scared expression he saw his son... bleeding out in front of him... impossible to save. He couldn't... He couldn't do it. The only thing that hit Mordred were tears. Marrok could not kill his student.

Mordred could however kill him, reaching her sword and lashing out, blasting Marrok's human form away in one surge of mana that could have killed an army. She rushed him before the now wolf could recover, not taking note of how sickly the wolf form had become in the time estranged from Arthur. The raging knight simply stabbed Marrok, pain shooting through her own heart as she cried out and tried to kill that emotion by stabbing the wolf in front of her over and over and over again until both died. Then, soaked in the blood of the closest thing she had ever known to a real parent, she let out a wail of anger and despair that could rend a man asunder. Mordred might have been redeemable at some point, but she was far too gone now.

"ARTHUUUUURRRRRRR!"

As Artoria faded from the memory, she heard the voice of the fake Fenris wolf, "This is how it always ends. Man, wolf, demon. Always this."

Artoria returned to the present moment, Marrok still on top of her, looking as if his sheer want for her might be the death of him, like he may never be able to separate himself from her. He seemed to have regained more of his senses though.

"This has to be a dream. A wonderful dream."

Arthur, pulled her knight close and kissed him deeply, "You don't have to wake up just yet."

(Author Note: Another sex scene would be here, but I already don't know if I'll get moderated for the first one, so just moving on. Basically it would have been Marrok showing Artoria with all sorts of varieties of foreplay and making sure she was 'taken care of' a few times before proceeding once again with full on sex. I might throw it in later).

The ritual had begun in the early morning, but when Marrok woke again after hours of carnal worship to his goddess of war and beauty, it was sunset again. As the moon began to rise in the sky, he could feel his wolf form... no something else, perhaps the lycanthropy... trying to claw out of his human guise. He also felt strangely weak, though he could tell his injuries were mostly okay. Though he'd need more time to recover completely.

He recalled his battle, and panicked for a moment, looking for his master. What he found was Saber sitting on his bedside. Buttoning up her shirt?

"Artoria? What? You...? Was last night-"

"A dream?" Artoria didn't turn to look at him, "Think of it as one."

"What's going on? How did I get here? Why did we?"

"You were badly wounded... dying. This was the only way to save you."

"Where's Kariya?"

It was then Artoria turned, an angry look on her face, "Marrok, you don't remember? Maybe you weren't conscious at the time."

"What do you mean?" Marrok stood up, and promptly fell back down, "Why can't I feel his mana? This is different mana... strained. I'm not getting much at all."

"Marrok... when you lost to Archer, Kariya abandoned you."

"What?"

"He's Archer's master now. Kariya broke your contract. We've managed to slip you onto Irisviel's command seal as far as I can tell, but that's a temporary fix."

"I can't believe this. Why would he?"

"I wouldn't lie to you. He's sided with Archer. Perhaps he thought you were dead."

Marrok stood once again.

"Sit, Marrok. You need to recover and I won't have us both draining our masters of mana. Especially given Irisviel's condition."

"What's wrong? She assured us she wold be okay."

Saber looked away, "She's a homunculus designed to serve as the vessel for the Holy Grail. Once enough servants have died, she will become the grail. If her efforts saving you worked as she meant them to, she is your only master now. When she becomes the Grail I don't know what will happen to you. We may not get to have that duel after all."

"Well, if I fade away, she can still grant you your wish right? I'll be fine either way. Maybe we can even include her in the wish?"

Arthur shook her head, "Irisviel is pretty sure that won't work. You'll be sacrificed to the Grail as a cost for saving Camelot. There's no way to bring you along. But I can save the you from then. I swear I'll save that you!"

Marrok sat down hard, "That won't be me though. After tonight... no matter what. I die. None of this will matter anymore because you'll be off in another timeline with another me, saving Camelot."

"Marrok..."

"I won't ask you to use your wish to save me if it means giving up your dream. It would be beautiful though. We could live a good life here with Sakura, we could raise her up right."

"I can't. I have a responsibility to Britain."

Marrok nodded, "I know... but... if you didn't...would you have stayed with us? Maybe marr-"

"Don't say such things... it only makes this whole tragic affair all the more painful to bear."

"I'm sorry."

Artoria stood, "Rest. I need to go check on Irisviel and finish preparations for what's to come. It's pretty clear we're nearly at the end of this war."

"Right. Good luck."

Saber nodded and excused herself, breaking her own heart a little. Some part of her felt like this would be the last time she ever saw him, but she pushed that aside and made her ways towards Iris' quarters and the other side of the castle. When he got to the hall, she saw the door open and could smell blood. Of course she bolted down the hall and into the room. There she found Kiritsugu instead of Irisviel and Maiya with a hole in her stomach.

Maiya weakly looked to Saber, "Kirei Kotomine... took her."

Kiritsugu looked to Saber with fury and dismay, "Where were you? I left you to protect them!"

"I was on the other side of the castle... tending to Marrok."

"Get him up! We need him to track them right now!"

Arthur turned and went back across the grounds as fast as her feet could carry her. When she barged into the room however... Marrok was gone.

Next Chapter: Berserker

Author's Note: Full moon chapter next chapter! WOOOOOHOOOO! I am so freakin' hyped! This will be great! Crazy stuff awaits! The climax (not the kind in this chapter hehe) looms on the horizon! Review while I run screaming in excitement down the street! WOO!


	17. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Assume Rider and Waver's friendship developed fully as it did originally, just a bit faster. This is important since another canon event is about to happen. Mostly brushed aside, but assume minimal changes to the clash other than anything mentioned.

Chapter Sixteen: Berserker

"Maiya, hang on! Saber will be back in a moment with Marrok, he can heal you."

Maiya coughed up a bit of blood, but smiled, "I am fine Kiritsugu."

"Your heart's missing! Dear god..."

She chuckled, "Not from a silver or holy weapon though. He did that bare-handed. The monster. The stupid, stupid monster. He didn't know."

"Maiya, it's not night yet. It's still another twenty minutes before the full moon."

"Kiri, don't be mad, but it turns out this was a lucky break. Marrok... Marrok can see and awaken origins."

"He what?"

"Turns out mine is wolf."

Kiri looked at the wound again, her heart had just finished regenerating, "You're already a werewolf?"

"I asked him to wake it up. I wanted to start being me. Might have saved me just now."

"But the Mages' Association won't let you live in peace like this!"

"Was I living peacefully anyway?"

"I'm so sorry, Maiya. I brought you into this.'

"Don't be. I'm happy. Almost as happy as the first time you kissed me. Even though I knew you were doing it because you were in pain... I was useful to someone as great as you."

"I'm not great. I kept you as a tool and used you like that to punish myself."

"Kiri..." Maiya winced as the wound kept healing, "You've changed... even more than when you left to be with Irisviel. All your intentions getting derailed, forcing you to be with the rest of us in this weird family of ours... it's changed you. Once I wished for you to return to the assassin you once were, so I could keep you to myself, but not anymore. This Kiri, this one is the one you were supposed to be. I know what Marrok meant now."

"What do you mean?"

Artoria burst into the room, "Marrok is gone. I think he went after Archer to confront Kariya."

"Kariya?"

"He betrayed Marrok while you were away."

"Dammit I leave for a little while and everything starts falling apart."

Maiya took a long look at Saber and smiled, "I see."

Kiritsugu looked at Maiya and noticed her wound was abruptly closing, healing faster than it had been, "Maiya, do you have Avalon?"

She nodded, "Iri gave it to me earlier today when she realized her time would be up soon. Told me to give it back to you. Take it. I'm fine without it."

Kiritsugu started waving the magics to take it out of Maiya, while turning to Saber, "How is Marrok still around without a Master?"

Saber explained, "We did a ritual to try and get him into a pact with Irisviel using that spare command seal you gave her."

"Irisviel's a master now? I don't feel any extra drain, so he's not mine... just hers. That means she can just call him to her with that if she gets the chance."

"I don't think she would, she probably wouldn't want to risk Marrok's wounded state."

Kiri sighed, "You're right."

Maiya grabbed Kiri's hand, "I can track them, just give me a few more moments."

"Now that I think about it, there's no need. We know where he's headed. The civic center where the grail is to be held. Let's go. Maiya, you can lay down in the back of the car and rest."

Kiri started to pick her up, but Maiya would not release his hand, "A moment. Marrok told me something I need to mention to you. He told me to bring it up if he didn't get the chance before you needed to go into a definitive conflict. It's about your origin. He told me all about it, and he taught me how to awaken it."

"Then go ahead, we need everything we can get."

Maiya shook her head, "I awaken it right now and I doom you. If you become the embodiment of severing and binding as it is, you'll break everything and restore it in a mess. Including yourself."

"That's all it's good for, that's all I've ever done."

"You're wrong. What kind of origin is that for a boy who grew up wanting to be a hero of justice? The man that does everything he can to save people? The one who saved me and gave me a place, that gave everything he knew up to save a homunculus and start a family? A man that dies a little inside every time he has to hurt someone?"

Kiri had to admit, there was some sense in that.

"Your origin has two parts; sever and bind. Your teacher saw the simple weapon-like part of that, twisted by something. But the context is complex. You're conflicted because your origin has another nature to it. Your original nature: severing and binding... can also be used to cut bindings and unite." Maiya smiled, "Your origin's positive side is liberate and unite. The origin of a hero of justice."

"Maiya..."

"If I awaken that, Marrok doubts your Origin Rounds will be useful against regular mages anymore. In fact, they won't be very good weapons at all in most cases. Marrok called it ironic."

"I have to lose a weapon for the power of what I wanted to use that weapon to be."

"He said to let you choose. The weapon, throwing your dream away completely to charge headlong for the grail, or the dream, the harder path to the same end."

Saber put a hand on her master's shoulder, "I walked a path of self-sacrifice, not realizing fully that I wasn't alone the entire time. Believe me Kiritsugu, the direct path of self-destruction to get the job done is not that right one. I don't know what the latter will enable you to do, but trust that you don't need a weapon."

Kiri absorbed the words, and smiled for the first time in a long time, "I have a Saber after all."

Maiya sat up, "And a werewolf."

He nodded, "Do it, Maiya. It's time for us to be heroes of justice."

Shortly after nightfall, a certain rider had noticed a man fleeing with Irisviel and pursued. That path took him into a fateful confrontation. Archer stood at the very center of the bridge that man had taken, his gaze fixated on Rider, clearly challenging him. If that weren't made clear with just the gaze, it was by Archer shooting the chariot down with his Noble Phantasm.

Rider was of course out of the loop and was confused as to why Kariya was standing beside Archer, but assumed treason correctly. There was plenty of time to correct that crime though. With his master's blessing, he mounted his loyal horse and unleashed his true Noble Phantasm. A reality marble containing all of his retainers, an entire army of heroic spirits.

Kariya facepalmed, "Seriously, how many servants in this war have armies? Kill him Archer."

Gilgamesh crossed his arms, "No."

Kariya's gaze snapped to him, "What?"

"What a cur. He needs other's to fight for him? Hardly a fitting use of my time."

"This is war, Archer! One you agreed to fight in!"

"I'll just let Saber kill him. I'm actually looking forward to playing with her. Her anguished expression reminds me of the virgins that showered me in rose petals in my bedchambers."

Kariya fought my back the urge to quip 'If they looked so anguished in your bedchambers no wonder they were virgins.' and instead said, "He's charging us right now! He's going to kill us both if we don't kill him or leave! Pick one!"

"I leave when I please."

"Then fight him!"

"I fight when I please."

"Archer!"

Iskandar barreled ever closer, within striking distance if he leaped his horse at them. Just a moment or two later and his army would catch up to him and run them over.

"Archer by the power of my command seal I order you to kill him!"

Chains immediately erupted and caught the King of Conquerors in mid-air. Gilgamesh drew a strange lance-like sword from an portal and pointed it behind Iskandar firing a single beam that struck the floor of the reality marble and shattered it, slaying it and his entire army in one shot.

Gilgamesh smiled and walked closer to the King of Conquerors, "Truly a Noble Phantasm befitting the King of Conquerors. If we ever meet again, feel free to challenge me as many times as you want. It won't be boring for you."

On that note, Gilgamesh stabbed him through the heart, killing Rider instantly as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, as Archer dismissed Rider's master as a threat and allowed him to live, Kariya looked at his hand... his hand devoid of command seals. Along that same highway, with the death of another servant, Irisviel's life began to be driven out by the intrusion of the Grail.

"Kariya!"

His gaze shot upwards at a familiar voice, "Marrok?"

Sure enough, the knight was standing there right at the end of the bridge, walking up it. He looked weak, but not wounded.

Kariya waited for the servant to get to where Waver was standing, then asked, "How are you... still alive?"

Marrok didn't seem angry, but he did look sad. He wanted to trust Kariya, "Answer me first. Did you only agree to take Archer on as a servant because you thought my death was certain? Or was that battle a set-up to begin with?"

Kariya gritted his teeth, "I gave you a chance! I even gave you a command seal boost. You couldn't even touch him!"

"From the sound of it, you wanted me to fight him one on one. We could have teamed up with Saber against him!"

"So you could give her the Grail? So Sakura could turn into a monster tonight and be hunted forever thanks to you? You ruined everything! Now she's probably turned now. And are you there helping her with that? NO! You're here! Why didn't you just die instead of leaving more messes for me to clean up!"

Archer strolled over to his master and clapped a hand on his shoulder, a grin on his face, "There you have it. That's the true nature of your master. I found it interesting that he summoned a knight so noble as you, Mongrel."

Marrok growled, "You polluted his mind against me, Archer! What did you promise him?"

"What you promised your king. He needs the grail to fix his life you intend to leave a shambles."

"I saved him! I saved Sakura!"  
"You painted me as a mass murderer and turned her into a monster!" Kariya shouted back whipping his hand at Marrok to accent the point.

"Kariya... no..., don't you realize what he's doing? What he's done? Assassin's master was working with Tokiomi!" Marrok motioned at the hand, "Where are you command seals?"

Kariya clenched his fist, part of him putting the pieces together.

Archer lifted his hand from his shoulder, "The answer to your question, Master. How is Marrok alive?"

Kariya felt a great and sudden pain enter his back and looked down to see a spear impaling him through the chest.

"I let him live intentionally."

Gilgamesh grinned ear to ear as he tossed Kariya from his spear and down the slight slope of the bridge to Marrok, who met his former master half way. The King of Heroes didn't attack, he wanted the situation to stew a bit longer. He watched with great anticipation as Marrok desperately tried to heal him.

"Why... why isn't this working?"

Archer elaborated, putting the spear back in his treasury, "All Noble Phantasms descend from weapons in my treasury, including Lancer's cursed spear. Ironic that it would end your master is it not?"

"Archer!" Marrok snarled.

Kariya started coughing up blood, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I... just wanted to protect Sakura,I just wanted a normal life... I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have done this."

"Don't speak master," Marrok started to glow with the activation of his second Noble Phantasm, "I'll just bite you, that lifts curses. Then you'll heal."

He bit his former master with grown fangs waited a moment, and resumed trying to heal him... nothing. The curse was still in effect.

"It's not working?!"

Kariya struggled to breathe, "Lunar cycle... legend says the bite turns on the next full moon... maybe that's too far away to give me your origin?"

"DAMMIT!" Marrok started weeping. Archer started laughing.

Fur was starting to appear all other Marrok's body, bursting out of his armor. His fangs grew longer. There was an unidentifiable creaking noise as well. Where that was coming from was uncertain, but it sounded like something that should never be able to break being wrenched to the breaking point.

"You twisted his mind, broke our partnership, made him betray me, just so you could murder him in front of me... just so you could make me suffer!"

"Yes. Exactly that." Gilgamesh smiled.

Kariya grabbed Marrok's hands has they tried to hold in the blood, "Marrok, please... I'm going to die... but don't let... him win. You have to protect Sakura. Promise me you will."

"I... will."

"Promise me..." Kariya fought against the blood filling his lungs, "promi...se that you won't let him ruin you. D-don't lose yourself. Please... don't let my mistake make you betray yourself."

"Master... I would never have betrayed you!"

"I k..ow. So... promise me..."

"I promise." the knight contorted more.

Kariya wept, looking to Archer as his life ebbed away, "You bastard... you made him lie to me."

There was silence. So quiet that no one's breathing could be heard. Though Kariya was the only one not holding it in from the sudden tension. That creaking sound grew louder, more unholy. Like a cruise liner had been dragged beneath the waves and was being folded in half. Every fiber of Waver Velvet's being cried out for him to run. So terrible was the sensation that Waver was certain that at every point before or since that he ever shuddered for no reason or felt a chill run up his back was in truth just this feeling from this moment ripping through time and space. Waver, though with no rights as a master, could now see the rank of Madness Enhancement that had formerly been concealed. He had never run so fast in his entire life.

Many blocks away, on their way to the church, the trio of Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Saber stopped their car abruptly when several sections of Saber's armor blew off and she doubled over, spasming and screaming out in pain.

"Saber! What's wrong?"

Saber shuddered, managing words while trying not to vomit, "Something's not... right... feels like part of me is... getting eaten alive."

Maiya rubbed her arms, the hairs there standing on end, "Marrok."

The full moon in the sky over the bridge almost seemed to push every cloud that would block it away, the moonlight seemed to drive all sound from the area. The wolf could feel no mana from his temporary master... and he was certain she was gone... part of the grail or sacrificed to it by now. Before him lay the corpse of his first master, and his vision flashed back to his son, to Mordred, to Artoria, to Irisviel, to each of the Knights of the Round that met an untimely end that he could not save. Logic would dictate that he had no mana to avenge his master.

Logic did not apply. Both he had Kariya had wondered what would happen if his origin required him to lose his mind to rage. The otherworldly creaking became cracking, as if chains of unimaginable size where being ripped to pieces. Finally, the mana of the world around them for several blocks simply imploded and was extinguished, consumed in an instant. Thousands of windows shattered, glass flying out and as far as it could towards Marrok. Hundreds of car alarms started going off at once Standing there so close to the epicenter, the pressure of such unfathomable anger was impressive to even Gilgamesh as he watched the form of a wolf butcher its way out of what remained of the human Marrok. Then a larger wolf butcher its way out of that. Again and again has he grew and grew. The creaking from some place beyond the living world began to tear into reality, cracking the bridge they were on.

Archer understood... this was no simple rage. Marrok's very nature demanded this of him... the very nature of what Marrok was: nobility, was warping and twisting. This was not a raging berserker. This had nothing at all to do with the moon or werewolf legends anymore. This was rage. If any master were looking up the servant at that moment, they would see his servant profile being torn to pieces from within by some unspeakable force. He was coming apart at the seams, unmaking as his very origin died and raged back into existence. The rank he bore of Madness Enhancement EX did not even matter anymore. As the wolf reached several stories tall Gilgamesh noticed the runes forming on its body.

"I see. The knight is dead! Finally, Mongrel,your true nature is revealed! You are nothing but a phantasmal beast! One the likes of which this world has not seen in centuries! I've waited for so long... so long! COME, BERSERKER!"

As the rending of his very existence tore Marrok down to his very core... the false Fenris wolf in the core of his being stood up, snapping the last of its chains as if they were nothing.

Bizuneh, the wolf once Marrok, let out an ungodly howl, the cables holding the bridge breaking and flying outwards as if trying to flee as the form of the beast grew so large that its body forced apart the main tower structure of the bridge, collapsing it outwards. So heavy that the bridge itself fell, wolf and all into the river. The howl so massive that Archer went flying back into a parking garage on the other side of the bridge just from the sheer force of it.

"ARCHEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Looking outwards, he expected the beast to have gone underwater without the bridge, but no... the wolf was so massive the river barely reached its underbelly.

"Yes! Yes! YES!" Gilgamesh rejoiced as he stood up. Finally a challenge!

Then he noticed one of the massive halves of the bridge's tower sailing through the air straight for him.

"No! No! NO!" Archer dove backwards out of the way as the enormous pillar sheered through the parking garage and it began to fall in the direction of the bridge, the few cars remaining parked pouring down out of the tiers of the building. Archer was given no respite however as Berserker crashed through the ceilings and floors of the building as it fell, fangs aiming to end him.

He laughed quickly darting back and running up the side of the next building, intercepting two thrown cars with swords but a third sending him flying towards an office building.

Inside, a certain foreigner was alone, pulling a very late shift at his desk again, though he was taking a break, jamming out to Jennifer Lopez's "Waiting for Tonight". His peace was disrupted by a car flying through the window and over his head, so close to it that it knocked off his headphones. He screamed, hitting the floor as a giant wolf careened through after it, collapsing not only the floor he was on, but the five floors above it with its sheer size.

Climbing out of the rubble, clutching a broken arm and trying to walk on what was certainly a broken leg, the man surveyed what remained of his place of work.

"I'M FREE! HAHAHAHA! I'M FREE!"

Outside, Gilgamesh blasted the car aside and fired a flurry of twenty swords at the charging wolf, "You dare hit me with a common sedan!"

It was like fighting an elephant by throwing a box of toothpicks at it. Some found purchase, some even blew holes in Berserker. It wasn't enough. Archer scrambled up the side of the next building as Berserker destroyed his way up it, reaching the top fast enough for the beast to flip a portion of the roof at him. Which he bisected with a blade he drew to his hand. He drew another to his other hand, readying another storm to launch.

However Berserker came barreling out of the debris, ramming into Gilgamesh as he barely managed to block. Regardless he was still driven through floor after floor of the building from the sheer mass of Berserker. Archer stabbed the beast's maw over and over, launching what swords he could focus on enough to launch as he was sent crashing down through every one of the twenty one floors of the building.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the King of Heroes bellowed like a madman.

On the bottom floor, Berserker clawed at the falling remains of the building, yanking them towards Archer in an attempt to bury the still yelling man, only for the Archer to blast away it all in turn and send the impossible wolf flying into another smaller building.

Gil noticed his breastplate torn and dented, so he ripped it off, going shirtless and revealing the runic tattoos all over his upper body. He started laughing like a lunatic, "COME ON, BERSERKER! COME OOOOOOON! YOU'VE FINALLY MANAGED TO TOUCH ME! DON'T FAIL ME NOW!"

The now falling smaller building came at Archer, but it was promptly blown to smithereens and when Berserker charged through the wreckage he was met with a slash from a mighty sword that floored him as Gilgamesh invoked its name, long forgotten by the common masses. Archer struck him again with his other sword, invoking it. He uttered true name after true name, sending Berserker crashing back down the highway and then rushing to pursue his victory.

"HA! HA! HahaHAHAHA!" he reached the street and was caught b surprised by berserker having already recovered and erupting from the dust cloud.

Archer's arm was snared in the fangs of the beast, who ran back towards the river, driving Gilgamesh into the ground and using his body to cut through the highway like a plow. At least until the servant's arm came off. Then he began to lunge again, but faltered and stumbled to the ground, golden particles starting to very slowly drift off of him. He was losing his ability to stay in physical form... some remaining fragment of his mind realized that that meant someone important was dead... but the only important person he could remember was...

"ARTORIAAAAAA!"

Archer stood, screaming in pain,"MONGREL!"

Berserker was blasted back by another phantasm, and Archer summoned a key into his remaining hand.

"You have been entertaining! But now let's see how you handle this!" Gilgamesh, for the first time in the battle, invoked the True Name of his own Noble Phantasm, "GATE OF BABYLON!"

Not far away, Artoria had managed to regain herself and the group had moments ago reached the collapsed bridge. After noting the scene and the destruction on the other side, and Kiri remarking that the Apocalypse had come to Fuyuki City, Artoria promptly carried Kiritsugu across the river thanks to her ability to walk over water, though she wasn't able to manage two people with the pain she was in.

"Get to the church, I'll catch up to you."

Kiritsugu tapped Secace on his belt, "Alright, take out Archer if you can, we don't need him getting in our way at the grail."

Saber nodded and bolted as fast as she could towards where she could sense Marrok was. The battle seemed to be over, and it felt like he was alive... if barely. When she came upon the wreckage of a city block however, she found him on top of what was left of a small store. Whatever had empowered him was gone. He'd simply begun falling apart even more, his very spiritual core unraveling, the wolf subconsciously trying to hold on by shrinking. He was impaled by many swords, but Archer was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that Saber could see was a veritable ocean of weapons with blood on them.

Marrok whined, "Artoria... Artoria... I failed again... she's gone... she's gone."

Artoria knelt beside him weeping, too distressed to wonder why she could understand him in his wolf form, "No, no I'm not I'm right here! It's okay I'm here with you... I won't leave you!"

"Artoria... you're okay... what... I can't feel anything... I can't see you... why can't I see you?"

His eyes were I no condition to see.

"I won't leave you. I'm here. I'm here."

"I want to see you again... I should have gone with you. I should have gone with you."

"Marrok, I'm right here! You're delusional. This isn't Camelot!"

"It isn't? Artoria... I'm sorry. I should have protected Camelot better. I'm dying... she killed me."

"Marrok, Archer did this! This isn't Camlann!"

Marrok was starting to disappear, so Artoria slit her wrist again and forced the blood into his mouth. He fought at first, not wanted to eat Artoria, but she forced it.

"Don't die! Please don't die! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I should... I should have stayed with you! Don't leave me, Marrok! Please! Don't do this! Stay with me!"

In her despair she didn't notice her own form destabilize as Marrok was dying.

"HahahahAHAHA!" a few dozen yards away, Archer climbed from some rubble, "That was the most fun I have had in decades!"

Artoria looked at the man, or what was left of him, "You're not dead?"

Archer, missing half of his face, chuckled, Dead? I've never felt more ALIVE!"

With his free hand, Archer summoned a flask, downing it in one shot. Almost unfairly quickly, his wounds closed, his face regenerated, and his arm grew back. The only thing that wasn't completely undone was the damage to his armor.

"Scrape him off the ground! I want another round of playing with the dog."

"No." Arthur gawked, "That's not fair... all he did to you and you just..."

"Oh, any great king should have a few elixirs of life. Come now!"

Artoria rested her head on Marrok, "Don't go Marrok... I refuse to let you die like this... please."

Marrok raised his head weakly, "I'm sorry... I never got to ask you what I wanted. I should have... I should have saved you... should have told you long ago. Swept you off your feet and asked you to be my bride. I love you, my Queen. Please... please stay with me... please marry me. Let's start a family."

"Yes. If you stay with me, then yes." Artoria squeezed him tightly, I order you to stay with me! I ORDER YOU TO MARRY ME!"

Somewhere, within the grail... a certain someone shipped it. From within the grail a command seal was spent. Empowered by the grail, the command seal surged through the wonky contract Irisviel had forced them both onto and into both servants, pushing their destabilization further and faster but held them in the world.

Archer cold tell no difference and felt such a scene had soured his fun, he conjured five blades and prepared to launch them, "If you want to bed your hounds it is no concern of mine!"

The blades flew and detonated the area in a storm of mana, if both servants hadn't flown into pieces, their Saint Graphs in splinters, before that strike they would surely have died. Within the dust cloud though the shards combined and merged, forming into a new card, the most powerful card... one that could never be drawn. When the dust cleared, Artoria sat astride a Marrok's wolf form, which was equal in size to a horse. Both clad in plate armor grander and stronger than they had ever worn in life. A furred blue cape flowed in the wind behind Artoria, a grand crown sat comfortably atop her head. Marrok was unscathed, the red runes of command seals strangely adorning both his shoulders and Artoria's hands. At Artoria's hip was Excalibur, in her hand her lance that had been forbidden to her in the Saber class, Rhongomyniad. For some reason they did not know, both off them could see Archer's class and True Name, as if looking at a servant profile. As if they were masters.

Archer turned, sensing a sudden surge of power behind him, at the strange sight of both his foes fine... and only sensing one servant in front of him, he was dumbstruck, "What in the world?"

Artoria leveled her lance at him, "I do not know, but I do know that we're not finished with you yet!"

Next Chapter: Ruler, Artoria Pendragon

Author's Note: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH! I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS TO FINALLY HAPPEN IN THE STORY YEAH! YES! FREAKIN' WOOOOO!

Sorry I kinda off-screened Iris becoming the Grail, but I couldn't slip it in smoothly. I am writing this kinda casually, but WOO! To clarify a bit, the attempt to save Marrok kinda forced the into the same contract, and messed up the thing keeping them in the world. They were already a little merged. This is clarified later, but Iris reached out with what will she could hold onto from inside the grail and used a command seal and her currently being part of the grail to command them to merge the rest of the way, the result of that being the class that is the servant of the grail itself: RULER! In this continuity, this is actually the creation of the card itself, as Rulers don't exist in main timeline Fate. They are now two servants on one Saint Graph like some servants in Fate; Grand Order.

Look up Lancer Artoria's first ascension art from Fate: Grand Order for a better idea of what her armor looks like now, but incorporate the crown and cape from the third ascension art. Also she is still younger Artoria, not that busty older form. Marrok is also similarly styled with his new fancy wolf-form armor.

Also WOOOOOOooo! I need a little break, but expect the next chapter within a few days. Also, probably the end of the war in two-ish chapters. Maybe three. Then we'll have some aftermath stuff for a chapter or two.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Ruler, Artoria Pendragon

Artoria pulled a shield from its place mounted on Marrok's side and readied it as the wolf charged and Archer launched four more blades their direction. Two bounced harmlessly of the shield as Marrok rushed straight for them, while the abrupt reposition angled Artoria to be able to knock aside the other two. Archer took a hand in hand and slashed at Marrok's face but the wolf simply headbutted the attack aside with the armor now on his head.

Archer was able to deflect a thrust from the lance but the force was so great that it disarmed him. He sprang to the side, but this was no horse that the King of Knights was mounted on. A wolf is far more nimble even at that size. Marrok showed this as he whipped around, Artoria matching the motion with a slash using the sharp tip of Rhongomyniad. However, when she moved to follow-up with a thrust, Archer rushed at the lance and grabbed it like he was putting it in a headlock, throwing all of his weight into it with the intention of dismounting her. He felt it work.

Then he saw it worked when Marrok wheeled around in front of him without Artoria on his back, however, the sound of her landing was off. When he turned quickly to attack her first, what he saw instead of a dismounted knight was an armored wolf with gold and white fur and the size of a horse.

"What the?"

Artoria growled. If he spoke wolf he'd have understood that was, "Boo!"

Archer then promptly found himself impaled on Marrok's sword Cavall from behind. Coughing up blood, he raised his hand.

Artoria couldn't possibly have seen what he had summoned behind her, but both her and Marrok dodged to the side as Archer's airship shot out of a portal and he rolled onto it, slipping away.

"Damn, my sword is still in him. I left my other one with Maiya." Marrok (who had popped into human form behind Archer for his attack) would curse his luck, but it was also immune to those.

Saber, still in the form of a wolf, bolted after Archer. Marrok quickly fell into step behind her after a quick change, "He's headed for the church, Kirei Kotomine kidnapped Irisviel and took her there."

"Dammit. Archer killed Kariya so they must be trying to steal the Grail out from under us as a team."

"Kariya's gone?"

"Archer twisted him against me just to kill him in front of me."

"What kind of King of Heroes is that?" Artoria growled, "He'll answer for that I swear to you!"

"He'll beat us to the civic center at this rate. Where's Kiritsugu?"

"He was already headed that way, so it's vital we at least catch up to him. He has Secace, but that won't help him against Archer's Noble Phantasm."

"Did Maiya awaken his origin?"

"Yes, the proper way."

"Well, we're set then."

At the center, Kirei Kotomine was there to meet Archer as his craft zoomed in and then returned to his armory. The servant extracted the sword from his chest, downing another elixir to heal himself. He grumbled at having to use the so often, but stood and dusted himself off.

"You look like you've been having fun." Kirei quipped dryly

"The contract, Kirei. I'm running out of mana and those two have gained some sort of power increase, there's no time to waste."

"It's nothing you have to worry yourself with, Archer. Moments ago I spotted Saber's master approaching. I will simply intercept him and kill him before they arrive."

"You seem happy."

"Truly. It feels like I've been waiting for this confrontation my entire life. Like I was born to kill this very man."

Gilgamesh smirked, "I know the type."

With some common ground between the two found, Kirei Kotomine raised his hand and began the incantations to contract with Archer. There were no dramatic entrances to stop the union, it just happened.

Kirei moved to the edge of the building, "I will intercept him in the parking garage on the sub-levels. You should wait in the Grail Chamber, it will be more dramatic to confront your enemies there."

"I do appreciate theatrics. Don't lose, Kirei."

His master supplied some theatrics as he jumped off the building to get to the bottom floor faster then made his way into the parking area for his fateful encounter. Gilgamesh merely chuckled and used the stairs. It wasn't far to the Grail chamber, and when he got there the priest supervising the war walked over to him, knowing to bow respectfully due to past interactions.

"Archer, the Grail is complete and since a moment ago has been speaking the same general announcement every few moments.'

Gilgamesh walked over to the pedestal and looked at the Grail, soon it spoke in a female voice Archer had only heard a little before. Irisviel's, "Only one valid servant and master pairing remains. Archer, bring your master to the Grail. Only then may you both claim the prize for the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Archer was confused of course, "Only one? There is still one other master and two other servants. Do you acknowledge my superiority?"

"There is only one valid Servant and Master pairing remaining."

Gilgamesh began to laugh in his triumph, as Artoria ad Marrok crashed through the same window together. Artoria landed first and Marrok proceeded to scoop her onto his back, the king taking human form in the same motion and ending up sitting astride her wolf once again.

"Archer!"

Gilgamesh turned to them dramatically, "You've lost! The Grail acknowledges me as its one true owner!"

"You've gone mad! This war isn't over!"

The Grail interjected, "You are mistaken. Only one valid servant and master pairing remains. The Fourth Holy Grail War is decided."

"There's two more servant right here!"

"You are mistaken. A ruler class servant may not participate in a Holy Grail War."

"Ruler class servant?"

"Ruler Class servant: Artoria Pendragon. You are not a valid servant in the Holy Grail War."

The Grail called forth a servant profile, one that neither Marrok nor her had taken the time to notice they could not see like they could Archer's: theirs. Their singular servant profile.

Class: Ruler

Master: N/A

True Name: Artoria Pendragon w/ Marrok Kingshound

Gender: Female w/ Male

Height/Weight: Variable (154cm/42kg w/ 182cm/91kg)

Alignment: Neutral Good

STR: A, END: A+, AGI: A, MANA: B+, LUCK: B, NP: EX

Artoria was stunned. Further down, the profile revealed they both had access to all of their Noble Phantasms from life with the exception of Avalon, Cavall, and Secace, which were all elsewhere at the moment. Instead of the Curse of Lycanthropy Marrok and Artoria both had something called 'Hounds of Camelot'. Both of their attributes were identical and higher.

Marrok looked back at his stomach, and though still wolf form commented, "I gained a kilogram?"

The Grail ignored the wolf's noises, "Ruler class servants are arbitrators of the Holy Grail War. They are to only enforce the rules and remain neutral. You may not compete in the war."

The priest, the name of whom neither Artoria or Marrok knew, protested, "What? I am the selected arbitrator! I've never heard of this 'Ruler' nonsense!"

"You did no remain neutral. You planned to assist Master Tokiomi in accessing the root and now seek to do the same for your son. The services of mankind have proven no longer adequate for this role."

"I was-" abruptly the priest's assigned command seals imploded into his body, shredding him in a pile of chunks before the mana surged into the Grail.

Artoria and Marrok went wide-eyed... this was hardly the attitude they'd expected from the Holy Grail.

Which spoke again, "Gather the victorious master and servant here. They must claim the spoils of war."

Archer chuckled, "I do not like the two of you being called Rulers, but it seems you aren't allowed to interfere with me any longer. Step aside. I must retrieve Kirei."

Marrok growled.

Artoria drew her lance, "That is wolf for: To hell with the rules and to hell with you!"

Marrok grumbled.

"I know you phrased it more colorfully, but I'm not saying that."

He whined.

"Fine." Artoria sighed at leveled her lance at Archer, "FUCK YOU!"

Archer glanced over his shoulder at the Grail, "They aren't remaining neutral."

"You launched an attack against Ruler not long ago. Thus, they are within their rights. Consider retrieving your master and returning if you wish to claim your prize."

Archer turned in time to see Artoria sailing on the back of Marrok through the air, lance forward, a mere foot for impaling his head on it. He dove to the side just in time, cursing his luck (which is not immune to those).

In the parking garage, Kiritsugu revealed his presence to Kotomine with a spray of bullets from his submachine gun, which proved useless. The man simply turned and walked through them towards Kiritsugu.

"I've been waiting for you. Right now, my Archer should be overpowering Saber. Any minute now and I will have won the Holy Grail War."

Kiritsugu ducked behind a pillar as a set of Kirei's knives sailed at him, putting away his pointless gun and reaching for his contender. It's higher stopping power should cut through that Kevlar and his reinforced body even without the effect of his Origin Rounds former ability to pierce and punish such things.

"So you formed the pact with Archer then?"

"Indeed. Now this isn't a contest between masters, but a race with the King of Heroes to see who can execute the last enemy first."

Kiritsugu smirked, drawing Secace, "You'll be losing that race. Secace! Sword of Burning Victory!"

Kirisugu and Kotomine's physical abilities equalized. Kirei set the sword down, having been told it was required to keep it in hand. Instead he took out his submachine gun instead.

Kotomine scoffed, "That only plays to your advantage if you are the superior fighter. I've read your file. You are an assassin that prefers long range. I am one that fights directly. You stand no chance."

The once-priest punched the pillar Kiritsugu was behind, taking a chunk of it off as the magus killer rolled away in the middle of loading his Contender with an Origin Round. It was no longer able to sever magic circuits and reconnect them all wrong. In fact it did pretty much nothing special to the large majority of mages anymore. Kirei was also correct, Secace did not make him a match for Kirei in close combat. It made the fight fair in attributes alone. However, it didn't factor in techniques. Kirei's magic amplified his stats, which Secace effectively neutralized. However...

"Time Alter: TRIPLE ACCEL!"

Kiritsugu Emiya was a cheater. Altering his personal time did not alter his actual physical ability. It moved him in relation to the time around him. So Kirei simply saw him move incredibly fast to one side and fire one round before there was any hope for anything short of a monster to react.

Kirei Kotomine caught the bullet in his hand. Literally in his hand, as the round penetrated and stopped inside his palm, right through his command seals. He didn't wince or cry out in pain. He never had such feelings. He did however notice a flicker in his command seals.

"What did you just do?"

Kiritsugu smirked.

Back in the Grail Chamber, Artoria knocked the four blades wedged in her shield out of it with a sweep of her lance. Archer, covered in blood, smiled in satisfaction that two more had gotten through. One to her shoulder, and one to Marrok's.

"Seems you can't protect both of you with that shield."

"Do not act like you are not worse for wear, Archer."

Archer summoned another bottle from his treasury, "I have plenty of these."

As he tried to drink it, the Ruler was suddenly right in front of him, and striking the bottle away, backhanding the servant with her shield.

Suddenly, the Grail interrupted, "No valid servant master pairing remain. Two masters and one servant are still alive. However, no contracts exist between them."

Archer protested, "What? That can't be."

He tried to draw mana from Kotomine.

"What has happened? Why is the contract gone!" he raged at Artoria, "This is some treachery from you isn't it?"

Artoria didn't bother replying, instead charging once more.

The Grail insisted, "Archer, form a contract and claim the Grail at once."

Archer shot a sword into the ground at his feet, blasting a hole to the floor below that allowed hi to dodge Artoria's attack and he then repeated the process the descend towards the parking garage.

Artoria gritted her teeth as they landed on the other side of the first hole. As they were about to leap after him the Grail spoke.

"One valid master remains."

"Kiritsugu..."

Below, the dust was thick from Gilgamesh's descent, the Archer clutching his chest wound from Artoria's prior attacks as dust got into it, "KOTOMINE! WE NEED TO REDO THE PACT KOTOMINE!"

A lone figure was standing there in the dust as it started to clear.

From above, Marrok assumed human form and yelled down, "Kiritsugu shoot him in the chest!"

Archer had glanced up at the cry, but looked back down at the figure, "Koto-"

A single bullet cut through the dust and straight into Archer's chest wound. He shuddered, but felt no damage. The dust finally settled, revealing Kiri standing over Kotomine, the former's head blown off.

Archer roared, "DAMMIT! ARE THERE NO COMPETENT MASTERS IN THIS WAR?"

Kiritsugu threw aside his contender. Its only use in the fight done, he raised Secace once again, "Now, let's see if you're good at close rage combat."

Archer held up his hands, "Wait, wait! You don't understand the situation! Your servant changed classes! They aren't eligible for the Grail anymore."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Ask the Grail! Or them!"

Marrok and Saber landed behind Archer, looking very different from when Kiritsugu last saw them.

He noted that, "Any truth to that?"

Artoria was honest, "Apparently so. Something merged us, and now we've been disqualified and the grail called us a Ruler class servant. He's right. You can only win the war with him. If that's what you want... it wouldn't be right for me to stop you."

Marrok nodded.

Archer laughed, "That's right! I won the Holy Grail War! I just need you to form a contract with me, and whatever your dream is we can make it happen together. You can even have my wish! I have no need for such things."

Kiritsugu looked at the King of Heroes, "I have a few questions. First: Where's Kariya?"

"I killed him to punish the dog. He betrayed you, so what do you care?"

"Second: Where's Irisviel?"

"Oh, sacrificed to the Grail already. I mean, that bastard Kotomine slit her throat from the look of the place, but you avenged that already. Is that it?"

Kiritsugu clenched Secace so hard that his knuckles went white, "Third: How are you in close combat?"

On that note, he dropped the sword and erupted in blue flames.

"Secace! Sword of Burning Victory!"

The Grail suddenly roared, the former voice distorting, "FORM A PACT AND CLAIM THE GRAIL!"

Kiritsugu yelled back, "NO! Not with this piece of garbage!"

Archer was livid, "YOU DARE!"

The Grail screamed, "FORM A PACT AND COMPLETE THE RITUAL! FORM A PACT AND CLAIM THE GRAIL!

The ground shook, the building started to crack and fall apart.

"NO!" both Kiri and Archer shouted.

The floors between them and the Grail collapsed and the cup tipped end over end, strange black ooze dumping in an impossible sea. Outside of the building, Maiya had finally caught up, only to see the entire church fail into an ocean of some unholy blackness.

"NO! NO! NO!" Maiya cried out for her family.

Next Chapter: Altered Fate

Author's Note: Next Chapter is the end of the Grail War, Hero of Justice vs Ancient Villain, some Alter shenanigans, and the Final Boss appears. After that (which I promise will take a few days this time unlike this one ended up taking), there will be at least one chapter of aftermath things. Maybe more if I decide to lump in a few chapters of goings on between this war and the next one. It's been a ride.

Oh, and what Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets do is implied here, but will be explained net chapter. Basically they "liberate", severing contracts and ongoing enchantments and boosts on the target. So, suddenly without any of his magical strengthening, Kirei basically got one-shot off-screen by Kiritsugu and his time alter. It also has another effect related to that which is going to be a thorn in Gilgamesh's side.


	19. Chapter 18

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. I actually fell and injured my wrist the very day after uploading my other Fate fic. Check that out if you are interested in a less loosely written fic with a totally original plot set post 5th Grail War. I don't plan it being in the continuity of this fic, but there may be references (I do have plans to passingly mention Marrok in the other story) and characters from it might pop up in my eventual Fate Grand Order story. Anyway, welcome to the conclusion of the Fourth Holy Grail War. Sorry if it's a bit rougher than normal, my work schedule has been killing me this week.

Chapter Eighteen: Altered Fate

Artoria woke up in a large, soft bed to a familiar stone ceiling. It was the ceiling of a castle. Her castle. She quickly became aware of the arm draped over her and traced it back to the man it was attached to. He had hair the color of the darkest parts of a wolf's fur and an athletic build. He was not handsome or ugly, but closer to the former. He was also naked. As was she.

The man woke up with a familiar smile she hadn't seen nearly enough of, "Morning, my love. From the look of the rays coming in through the window it is another glorious spring morning."

Artoria slid out of bed, reaching for her clothes momentarily, before abandoning the idea, "Why am I here? What happened with the Grail?"

He stepped out of the sheets behind her an embraced her from behind. "We won it."

"I don't remember it."

"Probably for the best. It was not a pleasant thing. Kiritsugu ended up siding with Archer after he couldn't beat him in a fight. We had to kill them both."

Arthur pulled herself out of his arms and opened the window, looking out upon a thriving Camelot, "So you're saying I was able to bring us back? That we saved Camelot?"

"My Queen, you shouldn't stand there like that. What if someone looks this way."

She stood over to towards something she spotted on the wall, "Excalibur?"

"You haven't needed to draw it in years. Don't you remember?"

Suddenly she caught the sound of a rambunctious knight running playfully running amok in the courtyard, "Mordred?"

"We saved her too."

Artoria turned to look in a body length mirror that was never in her room in life. Within it was her... but her mouth a smirk and eyes golden. However, she knew that wasn't what the Grail was trying to show her. In fact, if she focused past what was being shown to her eyes, all she saw around her was darkness.

She called Excalibur to her hand, the one on the wall not moving, "Is this the true nature of the Grail? False promises?"

"My love?"

Artoria strode over to the man, her armor forming around her not truly naked body as the illusion faded, and she impaled him on her sword, "I'm not your love."

Sensing something, she looked over and saw a wolf in the seemingly infinite seas of darkness, looking around coldly at visions. Artoria could see them if she tried, and walked into the illusion he was being shown. She was immediately caught off guard as she found herself in a warm and inviting den with two chairs near a fireplace. A illusion of Sakura lay dead on the floor near some toys. An illusion of her was also dead in the other chair. In the first Marrok, in wolf form, lowered a newspaper he was reading to reveal him sitting like a human, smoking a pipe and wearing reading glasses.

"There you are." Marrok stood, taking on human form and throwing the paper, pipe, and reading glasses into the fire.

She caught the headline, ' Association Chairman Kariya Matou Introduces Magical Education Reform'

"I do not not think the Mages' Association puts out a newspaper."

Marrok shrugged, "I don't need reading glasses either. Maybe the Grail was going for the 'growing old together' dream."

"Why were you in wolf form?"

"I thought it would lighten the mood."

Artoria rolled her eyes, "Enough, we have to find Kiritsugu. The Grail is corrupted by something. We have to find it and stop it."

"Artoria we're in a conceptual space, immune to whatever illusions it is trying to use against us or not, this place is infinite. We're only right next to each other here because we share a Saint Graph."

"There has to be some way to find him in here."

"No we're pretty much in a stalemate. We're immune to nearly anything it can do, but we can't do anything to a concept either. He's not your master anymore so I can't think of anything. We were made into this form by a command seal after Irisviel became the Grail and that apparently broke your connection to Kiritsugu. If my guess is right, that means Irisviel, who is currently transformed into the Grail, is our master. She just can't do anything to us without any more command seals."

"But if she's the Grail, and corrupted..."

"Why not just give herself more? Exactly. If the corruption was in complete control it would just take control of the command seals assigned to the adjudicator and use them on us. That means her mind is likely still somewhere in here intact.

"You said that the master-servant bond might help?"

"If she had any command spells it'd be simple. She doesn't, so we'll have to see if we can figure out how to use the connection directly, which is hard since neither of us are incredible magi or able to manipulate conceptual spaces. We'll have to just try while hoping for the others to find a way. If Kiritsugu can do something, we may have this won."

"Right... we'll have to trust in him then. His new power might be just the trump card we need."

"There's another hope as well. One that I don't think the Grail stands a chance against."

Outside of the sea of black that was inching slowly out from where the community center had been, Maiya was pacing back and forth, staying away from the edge as she tried to decide on a course f action. It was certain that at least Saber and Marrok were in there. Maiya could sense them both somehow through her connection to the werewolf that had bitten her, Marrok. She knew they were alive too, but not if there was anything she could do if she went into the sludge after them.

It was then, perhaps by coincidence or by fate, that at the same time that Marrok mentioned another hope outside a blur of slightly purple-hued gray fur blitz by Maiya and dove right in.

"SAKURA!"

Maiya tried to grab at the girl to stop her but was not fast enough. She then started to go after her, but something, some instinct, told her that she should stay outside. There was something in the girl turned wolf's demeanor in that moment that commanded her to stay there to help her get the others out of there. As she processed that brief flash of visual information from the girl from that moment she realized that she could not only see her origin as usual, but that despite the fact that Marrok had refused her the service... Sakura's origin had somehow awakened.

When the girl entered the void within the black sea, the grail immediately tried to confuse her with an illusion. This one was clever, an illusion of the street as if she had just landed on the black sludge and not gone into it. However, she was a part of Marrok's pack. Afflicted with the same curse of lycanthropy that made Maiya immune to curses by proxy of Marrok's intruding origin.

"Give me back my family!" the little wolf demanded, "I can sense them in here! I'll find them even if you try and stop me!"

A large golem made of buildings formed and attempted to step on Sakura... but it was made of the corruption, and Sakura was immune to that. The black void had no power over her. Sakura did not even bother dodging, understanding the protection she was under, somehow sensing the mature of the magic being used against her. Such was her raw talent for magic and the strength of her magical senses.

"I SAID GIVE ME MY FAMILY BACK!"

The illusion exploded into tiny bits of debris as if blown apart by her willpower alone. The little wolf snarled and rushed instinctively for the enemy, a power that the Grail did not foresee guiding her towards the source of the illusion. Unconsciously using her magical element, she crossed conceptual space as easily as one would cross regular space.

It was there, in the core of the greater grail, that Sakura found herself in another illusion. A countryside village, incredibly ancient. She was on the outskirts of the town, and nearby several boys were beating on a younger, smaller boy. Sakura knew it was an illusion, but she also knew that the little boy wasn't one.

She turned into her normal human form, "Leave him alone!"

The largest of the boys turned around, "Oh shut up, the adults say we can do whateveer we want to him. He's tainted. The elders say he's to blame for everything going wrong so he doesn't deserve your dumb pity."

The bully turned and kicked his victim in the ribs, making an audible crack.

"He's evil! Just like his parents! They should just go to the far side of the world and leave us humans alone!"

"I told you to leave him alone!" she shifted her attention, imploring the small boy, not understanding what was truly going on, "Listen, you, they are illusions! I can get you out of here! It'll be fine I promise!"

The boy started crying even louder than before, "You can't save me. Nobody can. The village says I'm evil. They're going to torture me and eventually kill me, all because of a few bad harvests."

"What are you talking about? Listen, whatever this place is showing you, it's not real. You're not going to die! I can get you out of here!"

The largest bully kicked the boy in the teeth and sent him tumbling. Desperate, Sakura ran over and punched the jerk, sending him to the ground.

The small boy stood up and started chuckling, "Got you. That's how I get by that immunity."

Sakura was confused, and open to the stick striking her in the back of the head and sending her to the ground. She was dazed, and if she weren't a werewolf she'd have been knocked straight out by that.

"I have to make you want to interact with it enough."

Sakura was immediately beset by the bullies instead of the boy, the gang beating on the small girl relentlessly, seemingly intent on beating her to death.

"I can't corrupt you, yet. Maybe you'll crack if I make you live through what they did to me."

The girl looked up, fighting back the pain she was in, "You... what are you?"

"I don't have a name, they killed my mother before she gave me one, and blamed me for everything. You know myths right?" the boy grew fangs, "They blame everything on us."

"You... you're a werewolf too?"

"I'm what they called me before they killed me centuries ago. I am all the world's evils. I am Angra Mainyu!"

Across the void, Marrok reflexively moved into the way of a tendril of darkness that suddenly appeared and drove itself towards Artoria. It was an attack that he should have been immune to... and was instead impaled by straight through the torso. His instinctive desire to take the blow for his love making it bypass his origin.

"Marrok!"

Marrok coughed up some blood, "What the? Dammit!"

"How did-?"

"It figured that trick out fast... took Merlin seven years to think of that."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine..., but only because I'm a servant."

Another tendril shot out, at him this time, and Marrok preemptively shoved her away so she couldn't fall into the same trap. The tendril just bounce off him harmlessly.

"Just ignore everything. Mental discipline. It can't hurt us. It just used my protective instincts to lower my defense. It can't work long against a disciplined mind."

"I understand. So it can't hurt you again?"

"Yeah, but I have a bad feeling. How did it find that so fast? One of the pack might be in here, in danger. We have to find... find her. Whether it's Maiya or not, they might be overwhelmed by this in the moment and not be able to handle it."

Back in the heart of the Grail...

"Bad!" Sakura, covered in bruises and bleeding, chopped all the world's evils on the head as she scolded him, "Bad, doggie!"

Angra Mainyu stood stunned, gawking at the young girl. She had simply regained her composure, grown irritated and then bopped him. Even then the more startling thing was that she wasn't even really angry. The smack was sisterly if anything. He was put even more off guard when she hugged him.

"Those bad people can't get you anymore, so you don't have to act like this anymore."

"I... I was tortured my entire life, and have spent centuries in darkness, taking all the blame for the sins of man... and you think you can just save me with a hug?"

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I'll get you out of here I promise, and you can start over. My daddy saved me from a terrible place, where they were putting insects into my magical circuits. I don't know all they did to you, but I can understand a little. You don't want to be like this, but you think you have to be. I felt like I had to be someone I'm not too, but I was given a way out."

"You think I can just walk away from everything they did to me?"

"You _are_ hugging me back."

Angra pulled his arms away from her, not even having realized he'd done it.

"There's nothing in me but hate..."

"I know. So you just need to replace it with something else."

"It's too late for me. I died ages ago. I'm trapped in the Grail now." Angra tried to push Sakura away, but for some reason he couldn't gather the strength.

In another part of the void, the illusion Kiritsugu was facing of his wish corrupted, melted away as he was about to pull the trigger and kill it. All alone, he struggled to make sense of what was going on. The Grail wasn't what they'd been promised, if it granted his wish it would destroy the world. He had to stop it. He stepped forward, not sure of where he had to go to do that, but that wasn't about to stop him. What did stop him was his foot hitting a sword, Secace, and his realization that the Noble Phantasm was still active. Yet, he wasn't feeling any effects of the curse.

Instinctively he dodge to the side and avoided a clubbing strike from Gilgamesh, who beloowed at him in rage.

"What have you done to me? Where is my treasury? Thief! Infidel! Filth! Give me back what is mine!"

Gilgamesh swung again, and Kiritsugu simply weaved out of the way like a boxer and slammed the servant with a right hook.

"I hit you with an Origin Round. I guess it broke your link to your treasury like it did Kirei's contract with you and his body reinforcement. Now, all you've got to use against me is your fists. And Secace makes us physically equal. Come and get me, King of Villains!"

Gilgamesh ran at Kiritsugu, and it wasn't any sort of epic showdown or battle of the ages that drew the arc of the villain to a fitting conclusion. Gilgamesh was a king, not a warrior. He'd pretty much never used his fists and never with any sort of disciplined training to them. Meanwhile, of all the freelance mercenaries that killed outlaw mages, Kiritsugu was the one they called _the_ magus killer. Even though Kiritsugu the magus killer preferred guns he was the kind of monster that was called the 'the' of that kind of thing. Some punk king too used to being able to spam an unlimited supply of the most powerful weapons in history could not hope to last in a fight with that kind of monster.

Gilgamesh threw a straight punch, and Kiritsugu simply weed his body slightly and sent his own counter punch straight along the line of the offending arm and into Gil's jaw. Rather than retracting his arm he instead coiling it slightly around the still extended opposing one and grabbed a firm hold of Gils shoulder in a form of weak armbar that only used one arm to apply it. Such a thing could be easily escaped if given pause, and that was not given. Instead Kiri pulled at the arm so that he was a bit behind Gil as he belted the king across the face with his free hand. No wasted movement, no retracting the arm to punch again. He only bent the arm as he moved his body closer, levering the elbow into the shoulder and moving the hand formerly holding it along the length of the trapped arm to reload that punch. Gil could pull back and try to swing at that moment, but the repositioning he needed to do to get back into a solid attacking angle was too much to stop Kiritsugu's follow through. Kiri slammed him in the face again, before the arm could even fully free itself, and simply reset the coiling and starting the process over. Kiritsugu didn't even need to bother using time altering magic. Gil had been snared and lacked the training needed to understand how to counter this unconventional positioning. He then became totally helpless as Kiritsugu's advancing steps and odd intrusion into his space took him off balance, and the strange coiling combo was tweaked to hold the servant up.

Gil tried to spin his leges around, but it was hard to think straight enough to time it correctly while getting constantly hammered in the face by someone of equal physical power. Kiritsugu just repositioned every time to kep him from doing it. It was only a few moments trapped in this lethal combination before Gilgamesh was knocked completely out and a moment after that Secace was used to take his head.

"I've got better things to do! Your petty ego can kiss my ass. To hell with the Holy Grail War! To heal with this corrupt piece of shit!"

The magus killer stomped away, rolling through the facts of the situation and looked around. High above was a circle of light, and he could feel the mana in the area was thick with dark energy. If th Grail was corrupt, and the area felt like this... he was probably inside the Grail. That dumping out of black sludge must have brought them all into this space. It was likely some kind of conceptual space or bounded field. Which meant...

Kiri pointed his gun at the ground, loading another Origin Round before firing it straight into the sludge at his feet, "Let's see what happens if I shoot a bullet of liberating and uniting into this stuff."

Once again... something seemed like some kind of magic bullet that solved everything too easily. Except this time it was a literal magic bullet. One that hit the ground and in the very same instant dispelled the void and left Kiritsugu back in the crater where the community center had been. Pretty much right in front of him were Artoria and Marrok. The sludge was gone.

Marrok walked over and slapped him on the shoulder, "You shot the Grail with your origin didn't you? I was hoping you'd think of that!"

Artoria nodded, "It seems you broke the corruptions hold on all of us."

Maiya came running into the crater and hugged Kiritsugu, "You're alright! Thank god!"

"Where's Iri?" he swallowed hard.

Artoria frowned, "Still a part of the Grail. If she was truly killed to be the Grail's vessel, then it's likely not so simply to free her."

"There has to be some way!"

A voice they didn't recognize spoke up, "Just wish on the Grail."

The group looked across the crater, some distance away was a small boy, being hugged by Sakura.

"Sakura! What are you even doing here? Who is that boy?" Marrok inquired, a little fatherly concern over her hugging a strange boy creeping in despite the situation.

The boy spoke up, "Angra Mainyu. I was the corruption in the grail... until you shot me. Thanks I guess?"

Sakura let him go and stood up, taking a protective stance in front of him, "He didn't wanna do it! He was tortured by bad people, just like me. I'm going to help him! I'm going to save him!"

Angra sighed, "What's with her? I tried to kill her."

"You were just mad at the world! I forgive you!"

Kiritsugu stepped forward, "You said I should just wish on the grail? It won't twist the wish against me?"

"No... apparently the power of hugs and bullets can just cleanse it no problem. You people are weird." Angra noticed Kiritsugu conflicted, "You probably can't decide between saving the world and saving that troublesome woman, right? Let me save you the trouble. The grail couldn't grant your wish to save the world even if it were fully charged. For a wish that big you need to know the method yourself. Plus, it isn't even fully charged. There's only five servants worth of mana in there."

"You re the one that showed me the path my wish would take?"

"That's the only method you know for saving people. The uncorrupted Grail would be more open for suggestions of course."

"Why would you do that to the world?"

"Hey, it's all I'm good for. All the world's evils right here you know. I even corrupted the Grail just by getting absorbed into it."

Sakura sun around and shook him, "Don't talk like that! Those evil people that raised you called you that. You don't have to be that! I saved you didn't I?"

Marrok sighed, "Sakura, I don't know if we'll be able to stay without a wish. We're servants. The Grail made us and we can't retain this form outside of a Grail War without large amounts of mana or a wish."

Sakura turned to Kiritsugu, "you won right! Wish for it! Please! I don't want to lose my family! Please, Uncle Kiri!"

Kiritsugu hesitated.

Artoria inquired, "Angra, is there enough mana for our wish to be granted as well?"

"We aren't eligible anymore remember?" Marrok noted

Angra nodded, "That Iri lady made you into a new class. Basically your the Grail's servant now. It and she decided it needed a rules arbitrator and you're it. So you cant be a competitor"

"Then I guess there's no helping it." Arthur sighed.

Sakura protested, running over ad grabbing Marrok, "NO!"

Marrok knelt down and hugged her back, "I'm sorry, Sakura, I didn't know it would turn out this way."

"Hard to believe it did." Kiritsugu frowned as he looked at the Grail.

Artoria nodded, "Yes. This was far more unpredictable than I expected."

"And anti-climactic. I wanted to save the world."

Marrok shrugged, "Such things aren't so easy it seems."

"Yeah."

"I have a suggestion." Maiya stated, "Five servants should be plenty for this wish: wish for your family to be alive and well at your side. Your daughter being held captive to force you into yielding the grail to the Einzberns. Such a wish should revive Irisviel and bring your daughter here correct?"

Angra interjected, "That's easy stuff."

"Could I include incarnating the three of you into that?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Three of us?"

"Yeah. Second chances aside do you think I'm letting you back into the Grail?"

"Good point."

"So can I?"

Angra shook his head, "No. That would be multiple wishes."

"Crap."

Artoria knelt beside Sakura, "I'm sorry Sakura, but Kiritsugu should revive his wife and save his daughter. We're ancient people from history. We aren't meant to be in this era."

"That's not fair!"

Marrok looked to Maiya, "Remember what you promised when I said there was a chance I might not be able to stay?"

Over Sakura's tears, Maiya replied, "Yes. I will take care of Sakura."

"Thank you. Kiritsugu... make your wish."

Sakura wailed, "NO, YOU CAN'T! NOT SAVING THEM IS THE SAME AS KILLING THEM!"

"Sakura we're already dead."

Kiritsugu frowned, taking a deep breath and walking over the the Grail.

Sakura tried to stop him but Marrok held her back.

"Holy Grail. Here is my wish: I wish for my family to be alive and well at my side."

The Holy Grail spoke in Irisviel's voice, "Very well. Your wish shall be granted."

In a large flash of light the Grail disappeared, and standing where it had been was Irisviel, and beside her was their daughter Illya, lookng very confused, "Daddy?"

"Yes, it's me. The Grail War is over!"

"Daddy! You won! I knew you would!" Illya dashed over and into her father's arms.

Irisviel meanwhile strolled over with a small laugh in her voice, "That's so cute."

Kiritsugu forced a smile in spite of the loss of his other companions, "Yes, she's the cutest."

Iri laughed, pointing behind Kiri, "No I mean that!"

Kiritsugu turned and behind him, closer than before, close enough to qualify as 'at his side' were Artoria and Marrok in their casual clothes. Angra was still where he had been oddly. Kiri was confused, "What the?"

Maiya spoke up from his other side, "Kiri, who is this woman?"

Kiri looked that direction and was nearly floored at the sight of a red-haired middle-aged woman, "Mom?!"

"Wow, you got old, kid."

Kiri's image broke as he was overcome by emotion and embraced her, "MOM!"

"Geez! I just got revived don't straggle me to death."

Marrok gave them some space, picking up the crying Sakura, "Well, I was going to tease him for thinking of us as family, but that would be rude since he also resurrected his mother."

"You're staying!" Sakura grabbed onto her papa tightly.

"Apparently."

"Yay!"

Marrok looked over to Artoria, "How about working on that growing old together thing?"

Artoria loked to her hand and flexed it, trying to call Excalibur, "I can't summon my weapons... so I might be able to age? Either way it sounds great. I still wish we could save Camelot, but... this isn't the worst outcome."

Marrok smiled, "I'd hope it isn't. Anyway... no weapons? What about-"

"Abilities?"

Artoria stepped closer and placed her hands on the pair, lifting them both casually then setting them down.

"I still have superhuman strength."

Marrok set Sakura down, then turned into a wolf, "I still turn into a wolf this way. So apparently we still have abilities. Just no equipment."

He looked around, spotting Secace.

"Except that one, I suppose because I didn't come with it."

Sakura took that time to jog over and grab Angra, "Saved you!"

He was naturally confused, "Now why was I incarnated? He did you guys by accident."

"Are you complaining?" Marrok shrugged.

"A little."

"Well, stop and get over here. You're getting adopted."

"I'm centuries older than you!"

"And had a terrible home life apparently. Do you want a second chance at a normal life?"

"After everything I've done?"

"Listen I don't know the full story, but I never will unless you tell me. Sakura wants to save you, she must see something in you."

Angra hesitated, glancing at the girl, then back to Marrok, "I... I guess I'll take you up on that offer."

"Good."

Sakura jumped for joy, "Yes! Saved him, got a brother! Dad, he's a werewolf too! Isn't that weird? It was meant to be!"

Elsewhere, as the group milled about with their unions and reunions (and Irisviel suggested they all go for karaoke) a darkness seeped through the purified waters of the Grail... a familiar dark water. Viviane had arrived at the core of the Grail at last, and could now begin to advance her ambitions. Pouring all of a the souls slain by her Avenger into the Grail she smiled and said to nobody in particular...

"When you start breaking the rules, you might let something else in the cracks."

Next Chapter: Intermission Q&A

Well folks, that's the fourth grail war. Next up is maybe some stuff in the intervening time between the two wars. But before that, feel free to post any questions you have and I'll answers them next chapter. In the meantime, should I just cover the Fifth War in this fic or post a new one and keep this one only for this war and the intervening stuff? It would allow me to do intervening events at whatever pace I wanted sine they wouldn't be mixed into the other updates, but I dunno. Anyway. I will be taking a short break before moving onto the Fifth Holy Grail War, as I will be trying to make that one a little less rough around the edges.

I hope you guys enjoyed this part of the story, which is sort of Part One of Two. Viviane gets resolved in the next war. But what will happen with Angra running around? Who will be in the Saber slot since Artoria incarnated? Is she still a Ruler? The biggest difference though... what about Shirou? There wasn't a fire!? Stay tuned folks. This timeline's Fifth Grail War is gonna be pretty different.


	20. Epilogue 1

Epilogue 1: The Season of Partings

Marrok walked into and then through the front room of the Emiya estate, looking winded. He was in human form, clad in sweatpants and a muscle tee, and had been attempting what would be the last trial in an ongoing experiment. Artoria was in the kitchen that was attached to the dining room, making some sandwiches. Usually Marrok did the cooking, but it had been his turn to go out and test.

When Marrok entered, she was already turning around to greet him and set the plate down, "Anything?"

Marrok shook his head, taking a sandwich, "No. No gains at all, no matter how perfectly I train or which form. It has been long enough to call it impossible. We kept our servant statistics, and they won't increase through training. Unless you've had any luck?"

"None. Not even a pound of increased strength or any consistent speed changes."

"Well, it's not like we need to be any stronger.'

"True. I did notice that our conditioning doesn't dip either though. Even on days I felt like I could not muster my full power I could still do so."

"Perhaps we can't lose our statistics either? It's strange how we seem to operate like servants in some ways but not others."

"Agreed. It's even stranger that I am aging again, but you are not."

"Well, this human form is technically a homunculus that preserves my wolf body in imaginary space. It's actually not a surprise I'm aging more slowly."

Marrok looked over to the spot on the wall where they had hung a measuring chart to keep track of not only their growth but the kids. He strolled over, noting again that Artoria, whose Excalibur had trapped her at the physical age of 15, had shot up a few inches since the war. He'd known this already, but taking in the changes that had been happening was more taking inventory in his brain than a reminder. Of course he hadn't grown at all. His human form was not only a form of homunculus, which grow slowly outside of production, but was physically around 18. Pretty much done growing. If anything he'd maybe get another inch or two within as many decades.

The former Saber in the kitchen smiled as she started eating, "Speaking of that wall, we were overdue for measuring the kids, so I took the liberty."

Marrok moved his hand down the long paper, "Wow, Sakura is shooting up like a weed."

"And Andrew's right there with her."

"I'm not even sure how that one works." Marrok eyed the measurement of the kid once named Angra Mainyu, "Every measurement he's grown exactly as much as Sakura. Not a centimeter more or less."

He eyed Illya's measurement, slow as ever. It seemed being half homunculus still had many of the drawbacks of being a full one. He worried if that also meant she'd die young.

"Well, at least he seems genuine about this second chance."

"Yeah. Sakura has him wrapped around her finger."

Marrok turned away from the wall as Artoria was taking off the apron she'd been wearing while working in the kitchen. He couldn't help but notice the other things that were growing alongside her height. Two hard to miss things, along with her hips, were filling out slowly and lending quite shapely credence to the theory that she'd resumed aging after Excalibur went missing. Artoria was developing into a fully adult body, that was undeniable. Already her body had become one that would probably make models self-conscious. A few times he'd caught men just stopping and gawking in disbelief at the sight of such a beautiful woman existing. More alarming, a while ago after a growth spurt she'd caused a car wreck while on the way to shop, even though she hadn't picked up on her overly tight clothing and full physique being the cause. Thank heavens for the safety of the world she'd been going to get bigger clothes that day.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just enjoying the view."

The apron was promptly balled up and thrown at his head. He could have easily avoided it of course, but that really isn't the point in a playful back and forth now is it?

Marrok strode over as he put aside the garment. When he reached her, he embraced her, "I love you."

"Despite your being an idiot, I love you too."

"Can you two not do that when I'm in the room?"

Marrok turned to the dining area towards the source of the voice, "Kiritsugu?"

The man sighed as he set his paper down, "I've been sitting over here the entire time."

"Well, that is quite embarrassing."

"You have a habit of tunnel vision when it comes to her."

Artoria held back a grin, "Well it is peace time right now, so I go easy on him."

"I will fix it." Marrok blushed.

"She that you do. I'm not gong to hunt you two of course, but the second the Association figures out who you are and what you are you'll have every mercenary on the planet after you. Even without the werewolf aspect. You guys are incarnated, totally self-sustaining servants after all."

Artoria nodded, "You are right, Kiritsugu. I appreciate your candor, as well as you letting us stay here despite the danger to your family."

"It's not like I'm free from being hunted myself. The Einsberns aren't exactly fond of me using the Grail like that. I'll have to do something about it soon, and having two servants on hand is as much a boon as it is a danger."

Marrok frowned, "How much good we are isn't certain. I'd like to think that all the family heads are as feeble and incompetent as the two that died in the war; but honestly both died to surprise attacks in a way. Zouken had his powers neutralized before I killed him, and the Tohsaka head got disemboweled instantly from behind while he was distracted. I never saw the full power of either."

"Isn't Sab-, I mean Artoria's magic resistance nearly absolute?"

"True."

Artoria grabbed her lover's shoulder, "Marrok has always been the cautious type. His usefulness as a scout was an excellent compliment to that. He does not like making assumptions, and we rarely ever had to."

Marrok however seemed to be thinking of something else however. He didn't keep it in long however, "That aside. While we're on the subject of your prior employers: why haven't they outed us? It is just now occurring to me that there is almost no way they don't know about our nature by now if not before the war even ended. Do they think they can handle us without involving others?"

"Not likely. Natalia, Maiya, and I have been dong some digging. Closest thing we can tell is they are being careful not to appear weak after the other two houses practically collapsed. Natalia's heard some rumors the Einzberns have some enemies that are circling like... well like wolves. I've sen out some feelers to see if we can talk with them."

Artoria gritted her teeth, "Political warfare."

"It is too bad Agravain isn't here. He was very good at predicting movements in those kinds of conflict." Marrok went to the nearest wall and leaned on it, "It would be nice if there wasn't such a power vacuum now. If the Tohsaka family wasn't reduced to just a couple of wealthy people with little magecraft we might have an ally. Right now we are just floating in uncertainty."

"They still own the land do they not? Perhaps that is a measure of protection."

Kiritsugu shook his head, "Until the Einzberns decide to tighten the screws."

Marrok stood, grimacing, "If it comes to that I would rather bail. I have done enough to that family."

"Sakura would go with you, so you'd be doing one more thing either way."

"Just find those enemies of the Einzberns you mentioned." both Marrok and Artoria turned towards the front of the estate, "Unless that's them making a dramatic appearance."

Kiritsugu stood, "That's not possible. Iri put up a bounded field around the block. It wasn't strong but enough to alert me if it was tripped by a magus or went down."

There was a knock at the door.

Marrok stated simply, "It's a man. From what I can tell his build and size are close to mine. Something smells off though. Smells not quite like a magus."

"Magus smell different?"

"It's the higher body heat."

"Oh, right. Of course." Kiri glanced at the measuring paper, "The kids are still at school right?"

"Right." Artoria noted, "They also made plans to go to the park."

"Good."

The person at the door knocked once again, so Kiritsugu went that way, extracting a hidden gun from a trap door in the wall.

"Who is it?"

"My name is Eoin Ciunas. I have things to discuss with the head of the Emiya family."

The voice from the other side was very thickly Irish, and monotone. From the height it came from and its depth Kiritsugu could tell that the man on the other side was probably a bit larger than Marrok. Also, standing this close the magus could get a sense of the 'off' that the wolf had smelled. Something just felt weird. As if something was making his own magic circuits uncomfortable and itchy.

There was also another thing the somewhat retired mercenary had to note. In western Europe, 'Ciunas' basically amounted to saying your last name was 'I'm not telling you my real name' and that fact was common knowledge there. It was literally equivalent to saying you were using an alias but wanted to do honest business.

So Kiritsugu opened the door, and was surprised right away. Not by the man of at least six and a half feet tall and built for suplexing phone booths that he'd been expecting to see, but at the not-so small boy standing next to him that Marrok had said nothing about. Just from the look of the kid Kiritsugu could tell he was the son of the pair, but the kid was one growth spurt away from being taller than Kiri. That and the boy's fair looks were soiled by a glare that wouldn't cut through steel, but would surely make that steel wish that it would do so and end its suffering. Height aside he didn't look that much older than Sakura, but his eyes reminded Kiri of Maiya's when he'd first met her. Was this a child soldier of some kind?

'Eoin' spoke up, even though the eyes of the kid had almost driven him from Kiri's mind, "I'll make no presumption of being allowed inside, discussion here is enough. Your bounded field is secure enough to block familiars."

"Not the two of you though."

Marrok came over, "There's two of you?"

The wolf's eyes went to the buy he hadn't detected. Those eye narrowed. In response Eoin stepped in front of the boy. Kiri noting that most adults would move the child behind them instead. Perhaps the boy was not a soldier or slave, but someone more important than the man after all.

"Pardon me. My boy constantly experiments with his magecraft. I can't get him to stop." he smirked and chuckled slightly. It was the only part of his actions so far that had any emotion in it, "It's really very unhealthy. Regardless, would like to discuss your situation with the Einzberns."

"You don't work for them?" Kiri asked a rhetorical question. His gut was screaming the answer already.

"Of course not. My people haven't gotten along with the Einzberns for centuries. The subject of the dispute is the very thing that has both gotten you into this mess and will get you out of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here to deliver some information. The Grail was not fully discharged in your war. No one is sure why."

"Huh? Isn't the Grail supposed to reset every war and need to recharge for decades?"

Artoria silently joined the scene in the entryway as the Irishman continued.

"This is a good thing for you, and my clan honestly. Negotiations with the Einzberns have alleviated both our problems. Because we had such critical information as the exact date of this off schedule Grail War, we had a bargaining chip."

"Why did they believe you?"

"They know our methods."

Artoria finally spoke up, "More importantly, you say yo negotiated for us?"

"Not directly. All a part of getting things done by making people think it is their own idea and for their own benefit. What I mean will be clear once I have relayed the message. In a little over nine years, the Fifth Holy Grail War will be starting. They will be leaving you alone until then, with the presumption that you will prepare, and whether you are chosen by the grail or not assist their champion in the struggle. Meanwhile, my brother Erik will be entering the war in yet another slot."

"Not your son or you?"

"I am not eligible for selection, and my boy... well," the cold demeanor broke again as his smiled, "I want you folks to have a fair fight."

Marrok was skeptical, "This all seems very light-handed for a magus family."

The man's demeanor shifted back to stony again, as if by some facial tick, "You're not wrong. There's another price that Mr. Emiya has to pay. I won't pause for dramatic effect. It's the simple price of evening the playing field, while at the same time weakening your defenses."

Artoria glared, "Us."

"Yes. You and your entire pack have to leave the country and are not allowed back until the next war has ended. Otherwise the truce is over and the Einsberns play all their cards."

Kiri sneered, "And that was the part you made them think was their idea."

The silent boy stepped around and spoke up for the first time, "Amatuer! The entire things was our idea! This way you don't have two extra servants, so the Grail is more likely to pick you to get a bonus servant!"

Eoin turned to the boy, "Danny, be quiet!"

"It was my idea!"

"Still...!"

"Anyway. You get a bonus servant maybe, and then if you side with the Einsberns they'll still want you to have only one, but if you rebel after then it obvious what happens!"

Marrok nodded, "If Kiri decides to break the truce after the war starts we just come back and he has three. Weighing him to be more likely to go against them in the War."

"Yeah! The Einsberns are morons! This way, you only have three servants if you are on our side!"

"Your side?"

"We don't give a rat's ass about the-"

"Danny! Language!" Eoin snapped.

"Sorry."

"And what if the Einsbern's did manage to hear all that or they sell us out?"

"Don't be stupid. King Arthur wouldn't sell us out."

Artoria twitched at her true name being known by the boy, "How much do you know about us?"

"Oh as much as the Einsberns. Magi suck at hiding their communications from us." the boy looked as smug as humanly possible, but then he became abruptly serious, "Oh, by the way? Do you wanna spar?"

Eoin blocked the boy with one arm, "I apologize, the boy is rambunctious."

"Dad! I wanna fight a servant!"

"We talked about this!"

Marrok leaned over to quietly say to Artoria, "That kid reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"Oh, that's right you only interacted a few times. I was talking about Mordred."

"Ah...Now that you mention it I can see it. Mordred was pretty fiery when he barged into that tournament and afterward insisted on joining the Round Table."

Kiritsugu got back on topic, replying to Eoin, not the brat, "You want me to risk them just attacking the second these two are out of the country?"

"Yes. They won't attack. If they do, my clan will be on your side."

"How an I trust you aren't on theirs?"

"Because if you don't they'll just play all their cards now. You don't have any other choice."

"You have a point."

"Make your preparations, but remember. It was not just them. Their entire pack has to leave by the end of the first week of the year. You have the holidays before you have to say goodbye. The Einsberns agreed to that much."

"I'll think about it."

"Good. We'll be in touch when the war starts. Here's the exact date." the man handed over a small paper, "Good luck to you."

"If you're on the level, same to you."

The Irishman turned and for the first time physically made his son follow him as he walked away from the house.

Something dawned on Kiritsugu and he shouted after them, "How did you get past the field?"

Danny turned with a smug expression, "Druid magic!"

And he was promptly samcked on the back of the head and dragged along my his father. Kiritsugu left it at that, closing the door and turning to his partners, "Do you think they were behind the attack on the mansion?"

Marrok shook his head, "No, I didn't get that vibe from them. The similar magic doesn't prove anything, but we should be careful."

"Of course."

Marrok looked at Artoria, "We knew three people capable of druidic magic."

"Merlin, Vivian, and Morgan."

Kiritsugu furrowed his brow, "We beat all the servants in that war."

"Merlin never died, but it couldn't be him. Vivian's a fairy of almost divine level so she shouldn't be able to leave the other side of the world."

"What about Morgan? I checked up on her and cant find any record of her death."

Artoria shook her head, "I do not know. She was alive when we died, and the Grail did not tell us."

Marrok scratched his chin, "Even thogh he was part of te grail once, Andrew says he doesn't remember most of what knowledge it had. I think we're at another uncertainty here. E have to assume though."

Artoria rolled her eyes and sighed, "She's still alive, and still after me."

"Great, the Merlin of treacherous witches is our enemy."

Artoria shook her head, "No. _my_ enemy. Kiritsugu. You should take the deal. If Morgan is after me, our staying here will bring you and your family into the crossfire."

"Leaving means you have less guns aimed at her."

"I am honored that you say that, but you wouldn't be any help against a magus from the Age of the Gods. I am astounded she hasn't taken over the world by now."

"I won't just leave you to deal with a super villain alone. I hunt mages, I can handle her with help."

Marrok placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a serious look, "Kiritsugu, this isn't a debate. After Christmas, we're leaving and finding Morgan. Without you."

Next Chapter: Goodbye

A/N: Hey, I'm back after a long run of life happening all over me. There were no questions for the Q&A so net time I might conclude with just some basic trivia I think will be cool to know. For now, that's the chapter. Brief cameo by the child version of Danny from my other fic aside (the two of these stories still aren't in the same timeline by the way), our heroes assume Morgan is the villain and are heading out to spare their human friends from involvement. There will be one more Epilogue chapter that's mostly not important to plot (just goodbyes and slice of life basically) at some point, but you will be fine never reading it going forward. The sequel fic "Fate: Divide" will be going up some time in the next few weeks and have some catch-up stuff for what happened during the time skip. I hope you enjoy it when I get it live.


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